


Broken

by obisgirl



Series: Different Destinies [5]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-14
Updated: 2017-05-22
Packaged: 2018-05-26 18:54:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 27,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6251596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obisgirl/pseuds/obisgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The curse is broken, Clare's reunited with her parents and grandparents but it's a tense reunion, having to quickly sort through her feelings and now, she's forced to save the woman who was responsible for enacting the curse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Charmings Assemble

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Once Upon a Time characters are the property of Disney and Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis. This fanfic is for pure entertainment.  
> A/N: I apologize for the very, very long delay in posting this. I wasn't happy for a long time about the length, and thought about adding more, but the inspiration wasn't there.

Clare doesn't know what time it is when her iPhone starts vibrating on her nightstand the next morning but the buzzing is enough to wake her up and see who's calling her. It's a text message from the sheriff's station, from her grandfather to be more specific calling for everyone (being her parents and her) to meet him at the station as soon as possible.

She gets up, changes, brushes her teeth and then fixes her breakfast, toasting waffles. As she's waiting for them to toast, she knocks on Emma's door, hears a stir and she opens the door, frantically averting her eyes.

“Um good morning,” Clare says quickly, looking away, “I got a text message from Charming for everyone to meet at the sheriff's station, probably to figure out what to do with Mariana,”

Emma feels the heat rush to her cheeks as turns, smiling at her husband. “We'll be right out,” she promises.

“Right,” she mutters, “And um, good morning to you too Killian,”

The former pirate looks between his wife and daughter, waving a good morning before Clare backs out of the room and Emma can't contain her giggles anymore. “It's impressive that we can still provide her with a few traumatic childhood memories at this stage,” he ponders.

~~

“Didn't you read our story in Michael's book?” Emma asks her daughter as they walk into the sheriff's station, meeting Charming and Snow in the main office.

Clare shrugs. “I only read selectively,” she admits, “For a children's fairytale book, parts of it are very pornographic. I seriously wonder who gave it to him in the first place,”

Killian chuckles and Clare looks curiously at him. “Come on lass, don't need to provide her with anymore traumatic memories that will probably send her to therapy,” he teases. “This morning was enough trauma for everyone,”

“What happened this morning?” Charming interrupts as Emma walks over and hugs him, then Snow.

“Something that doesn't need to be repeated,” Clare retorts, looking seriously at him. “Is she awake?”

“She is,” he confirms, “And she wants to talk to you, Clare,”

Clare looks uneasily between her parents and grandparents. “I didn't realize it was my turn again to interrogate the prisoner,” she muses, “I think you two would do better, former pirate and prince-sheriff,”

“No, it must be you Clare,” Snow affirms, “Mariana won't talk to us,”

Clare sighs then straightens out her coat then Emma gently takes her hand. “Don't worry, she can't hurt you. She's powerless, behind bars and cornered by this entire family,” she reminds her.

Clare walks closer towards the cell, staring icily at the woman inside. “Good morning Mariana,” she greets.

Mariana gets up from the bed and looks over at her, smiling. “Clare Logan,” she greets, noting everyone else in the room. “I didn't realize it took the entire family to interrogate a former powerless witch. I feel so special right now,”

“Is that why you enacted the Dark Curse, because you wanted to feel special?”

“No,” she says, standing and flipping her coat tails, walking over to the bars. “You don't know what your family took from me. I lost everything because of them but perhaps my greatest regret is Michael getting caught in the crossfire,”

“So, you didn't mean for him to eat that apple turnover,”

Mariana hangs her head. “That was meant for you, the second part of my plan was to permanently separate you from your family the way your grandmother separated me from mine,” she retorts, looking squarely at Snow White. “That's right dear, I wanted to teach you a lesson; make you suffer the way you made my Regina suffer,”

Clare shakes her head. “So you enacted a curse eighteen years after my grandmother was supposed to eat the poisonous apple,” she deduces, “I'm still trying to follow here. You could have taken your revenge a long time ago but you waited for what exactly? And who are you really?”

“Rumpelstiltskin was locked up, it took me time to find the Dark Curse, what I needed to make it work and who I really am, isn't that important,” Mariana notes but Clare's not believing that. “Fine. I am your grandmother's stepmother's mother,”

Clare looks back at Snow and then to Mariana. “So what does that make us?”

“Like I said, I am your grandmother's stepmother's mother,” she muses, “I am Cora but I simply prefer to go by Mariana and use this body,”

“..which isn't yours by the way,” Killian interrupts, looking at his daughter. “Mariana's my mother's name and as far as I'm concerned, you're literally guilty of identity theft,”

Mariana shrugs, smiling at him. “I don't really have a choice in the matter, now do I? Especially since I don't have magic and can't change my appearance back to its original state,” she says, looking at Clare again. “Is there anything else you would like to ask?”

“How did you do it?”

“Great power comes with great sacrifice,” Mariana muses, “I eventually found Regina but the curse required that I sacrifice the heart of the thing I loved the most,”

“You took the heart of your own daughter and used it to enact the curse,” Clare breathes, “Lady, you're a sociopath. You murdered your own child just to get back at my family. You really are a witch and far as I can tell, Michael's better off without you because god knows what you would do if he ever crossed the line. Maybe you would take his heart and store it away for safe keeping,”

“I would never hurt Michael, he's my son,” she cries, “And you, you are not his mother. You weren't there for him for eleven years. You didn't raise him; I did and I know exactly what you were up too before you even came to Storybrooke Miss Logan. So, don't you dare call me an unfit mother; yes, I lied and cheated everyone out of their happy ending but I never abandoned Michael. I love him and he means everything to me,”

Clare backs away from the cell, feeling the sudden urge to run. She hadn't felt this way in a long time but this time, the feeling is undeniable. She isn't a savior, she isn't a hero and suddenly, what she has to do to make everything right feels overwhelming.

“Something wrong Miss Logan?” Mariana wonders.

Clare looks between her parents and grandparents before running from the room and stopping outside of the bathroom, feeling as if her heart is about to burst out of her chest.

Killian and Emma exchange glances before going after but Emma stops him, walking closer to her.

“Clare?” she ventures.

“I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing,” Clare cries, “The curse is broken, she's behind bars but what else is coming? Because if it's something else bigger than this, I don't think I can deal with it right now. I know I'm the savior and there's more to that title than simply breaking the curse but I am not savior material. Mariana's right, I'm no hero and I'm not ready to become one either,”

Emma sighs, walking over and leans against the wall. “This isn't going to be easy,” she admits, “But you're not alone and we'll help you. No one expects you to have all the answers Clare; mistakes will be made but that doesn't mean that we'll be disappointed in you,”

“You don't know the kind of person I was before I came to Storybrooke,” she cries, “I was broken, lost and for a time, I thought completely unlovable and I ...I didn't think I could be a good mum to Michael so I gave him up, hoping someone else could love him better,”

Killian steps forward. “That was the old you Clare, you're not like that anymore,” he assures her, “You've welcomed us as your parents,”

“I know and I do love you guys for loving me unconditionally but I'm not sure I can be strong enough to do what I'm meant to do,” she cries.

“You can and you will,” Charming says, confronting her, “I know because I was in the same situation not too long ago, having to take my brother's place after he died and become Prince Charming. You can be brave Clare and do the right thing,”

“What is the right thing?”

“What your heart tells you,” Emma offers.

tbc

 


	2. Clare vs. Mariana

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You're talking about doing something that you saw on a TV show,” Killian reasons, “Clare, I'm not sure that would work here,”

Mariana thinks that she can intimidate Clare, make her feel less insecure about herself so that she will walk away but there is one thing that Mariana didn't anticipate about Miss Clare Logan: that her threats would make her even more determined to do her best.

That is why she marches back to Mariana's cell, stands her ground and holds her head high defiantly, staring down coldly at her. “Here's the deal: this town hates you for what you stole from them and I could easily persuade my grandfather to release you and plan a public execution, maybe a witch burning since that's what they used to do in this world when someone was revealed to be one,” she says coolly, “That would be the easy way out of getting rid of you but then we would probably still be here, and most people probably want to return to the Enchanted Forest,”

“Well, that's a lost cause especially since that world is gone now; destroyed by the curse,” she retorts, “There's no going back there,”

“I wasn't done,” Clare fumes, “You're going to leave everyone alone, especially Michael and stop trying to manipulate everything in your favor. You lost, the curse is broken, I have my family behind me and if you ever hurt them, you will burn,”

Mariana glares at her as Clare smiles quaintly at her once before turning on her heel and leaving the room, her family following behind her.

“Wait a minute, no execution?” Charming asks as she turns back to him, “Clare, we know what she did; killing her would...”

“Would be easy,” she reasons, “But it's not the answer. We are not murderers here. I know this is no ordinary town but there are better ways to deal with her that don't involve killing her. No matter what she's done, she doesn't deserve to die,”

Snow steps forward, arms crossed. “Clare, I know you want to do the right thing and I commend you for it but she ruined a lot of people's lives, stripped them away from their loved ones and if she is allowed to live, there's no way we can guarantee her safety,”

“How do you propose that we deal with her then if not via execution?” Charming asks.

“A binding spell,” she offers and everyone looks at her blankly, eliciting a heavy sigh. “You know like from _Charmed_ and _Buffy: The Vampire Slayer_. It's probably the safest method because she'll be completely stripped of her powers and won't be a threat to anyone,”

“You're talking about doing something that you saw on a TV show,” Killian reasons, “Clare, I'm not sure that would work here,”

“But there is one other person in this town who knows about magic and could probably make it work,” she continues, “We need Rumpelstiltskin's help,”

“No,” Emma interrupts, “You ask him for help and you'll be forced to help him later, and you do not want to owe him a favor Clare. There has to be another way,”

She shrugs. “If there is one but right now, it's the only option,”

~~

There might be options where Mariana is concerned but Clare is not the law in town, her grandfather is and she refuses to be responsible for the death of her son's adoptive mother, however evil she might be. She strides confidently into Gold's shop, finding him arranging a tea set but stops when he notices her, Killian and Emma.

“Good morning Miss Logan,” he greets, “What can I do for you?”

“What do you know about a binding spell?” she ventures, ignoring the pleasantries.

He raises an eyebrow. “And this is for who exactly?” he queries

Clare smiles at him sarcastically. “I think you know who the spell is for, Gold; you either know how to perform a binding spell or you don't,” she muses.

Gold smiles at her.

“Indeed, I do know and it is very easy to perform actually but may I propose an alternative solution?” he asks as Clare, Emma and Killian eye him suspiciously. “A binding spell will help solve part of the problem but Mariana is still a threat, with or without her powers. You need a permanent solution,”

“We are not killing her,” Clare says bluntly.

“I didn't say kill her,” he adds, “What I propose will not kill her but it will put her out of commission for a very long time, a fate worse than death, Miss Logan,”

Clare glances at her parents and then to Mr. Gold. “I think that we'll stick with the binding spell for now,” she confirms.

“As you wish then,” he says, “I will need something of hers,”

“I'll get it,” Clare promises.

TBC

 


	3. Family Stuff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “This is new for all of us, Emma,” Killian starts, “Even her,”

“Clare,” Killian starts, “Maybe we should reconsider Rumpelstiltskin's proposal. A binding spell is only a temporary solution,”

Clare stops walking and turns back to him and Emma. “What other solution is there, banish her?” she retorts, “I'm sorry but it's really hard to do whatever it is I'm supposed to be doing if you guys keep on questioning my decisions,”

“We're not doing that but I think you're underestimating what Mariana can do; just because she's powerless and behind bars doesn't mean we should start going easy on her now,” Emma adds.

“You think Rumpelstiltskin's solution is the better one; we don't even know what it is. It could end up backfiring on all of us and then we'll be worse off,” Clare retorts, “I understand you guys want to help but second guessing my decisions really isn't a great confidence booster. I'm the savior, I can deal with this,”

Killian wants to say something but Emma stops him. “You're right. You are the Savior and whatever you think is right, probably is; we're only here to guide you, Clare,” she says.

“Right,” she reasons, “I need to get over to the mayor's house and find something Gold can use to enact the binding spell. Just make sure Gramps knows so he doesn't arrest me,”

~~

There's no mistaking the awful silence as Killian walks with his wife back to the sheriff's station. Emma's still bothered about the fight earlier with Clare, their first fight as a family, he might add. They had fights before but they were cursed and now, they're a family.

It's different but it hurts Emma even more because she knows the truth now: that her roommate is actually her daughter. Killian squeezes her hand and she looks at him thoughtfully.

“This is new for all of us, Emma,” Killian starts, “Even her,”

“I understand that,” she muses, “That's not it. Do we even know what we're doing? We've only been her parents for a day and a half; she's old enough to be my older sister and I'm still a teenager and you're --”

Killian stops and turns to her, bracing her waist. “You think that we're not cut out for this parenting stuff,” he reasons and kisses her forehead. “Darling, no one is ready to be a parent; curse or no curse but we will figure this out together,”

Emma breathes slowly. “We need to give her space,” she realizes and Killian smiles at her, “Stop questioning her decisions and encourage her; she needs us to be supportive of whatever she thinks is the right move,”

“But as her parents, we can still make our objections heard instead of keeping it all bottled up inside,” he adds, “Because at the end of the day, you take our ages and add twenty-eight years to that, we're still older than her,”

“Right, I'm 46 and you're like 53 or something,” she reasons, raising an eyebrow suggestively at him, “But a hot 50 something,”

Killian laughs and kisses her. “53, really? You think I'm that much older than you?” he questions.

Emma shrugs, still smiling. “You know how old I was when we first met,” she reasons, “And I knew that you were older than me,”

Killian rolls his eyes, kisses her hand and they head towards the sheriff's station.

~~

Clare doesn't make it a habit of breaking into people's houses and doesn't want to be arrested for doing so, especially by her grandfather so she enlists Michael's help by asking him if he has a spare key on him (which he does). That was as far as she expected to go with him until he decided that he would tag along and help her look for whatever it is she's looking for.

“It has to be something personal,” she explains to him as they wander into the house.

Clare starts towards the kitchen but Michael beckons her to follow him to his mom's bedroom. As soon as they walk into the room, Clare feels odd but brushes it off, looking through the vanity for anything.

Michael goes to the walk-in closet and comes out with a jewelry box, sits down on the queen size bed and opens it up. “There has to be something in here that you can use for...” he starts and looks at her curiously, “what is this for again?”

“A binding spell,” she reasons, “We can't kill her. We could but we're not doing that. No matter what evil she's done, she's still your mum and I don't want her blood on my hands. A binding spell will ensure that she'll never be able to use her magic again,”

Michael looks at her thoughtfully before hugging her tight; Clare's taken aback by the action but welcomes the gesture. Michael pulls away first and opens the middle drawer of the jewelry box, removing a heart-shaped locket. He gently lifts the clasp, eyeing what's inside and then closes it, giving it to her. “This should work,” he reasons.

Clare lifts the clasp and looks inside, a small sigh escaping her lips as she stares at the picture inside:

Mariana's on the left heart, looking to the right heart – a picture of Michael as a young boy, happily smiling at the camera.

TBC


	4. A fate worse than death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We're not executing you, Mariana,” Clare says, “That's not how things work here, that's not the kind of people we are. You will pay for what you've done in time but we're not killers,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I apologize for the long wait again for a new chapter. I recently started a new job and I have other things going at home, so it's bee hectic finding a schedule where I do fan stuff online. Thankfully, the stuff at home is winding down finally.

“She actually referred to me as 'gramps'?” Charming asks disbelievingly as Killian leans against the desk, keeping an eye on a still confused Emma.  He's half-paying to his father-in-law and is more concerned about what his wife might be thinking about their current situation.  He had hoped that their little pep talk earlier helped put her at ease but apparently, there were still some lingering doubts on her mind.  

 

“Killian?” Charming asks again and the former pirate turns to him. 

 

“Aye,” he says,  “That she did,” 

 

Charming smiles and shakes his head.  He knows that he's a grandfather and a great-grandfather to Michael but it still takes some time getting used too.  The curse changed everything. 

 

“It's a start,” Snow adds, slipping an arm around Charming's waist.  “We're all her family, even Michael's,” 

 

“It's going to take time to adjust,” he reasons, looking again at Emma who's still lost.  “Emma, sweetheart?” 

 

She shakes her head and looks at him.  “Yes?” 

 

“Something on your mind love?” he counters,  “I know that look,”

 

Emma brushes it off and straightens out, crossing her arms.  “I'm over it now, really,” she admits but his quirked eyebrow tells her that he doesn't believe her. 

 

“Love, open book,” he mutters. 

 

Before she can counter that, Clare and Michael walk into the station. Michael smiles at everyone and Snow and Charming look worriedly at her.  “He knows what we're doing,” she confirms, “He actually helped me look for this,” 

 

Clare lets the heart-locket drop from her hands and they all stare at it.  “Without breaking and entering,” she adds, looking at her grandfather, “So no need to arrest me. Is Gold-stiltskin here yet?” 

 

“I am now dearie,” he interrupts, wobbling into the room, “And for your information, I don't like the meshing of my names. It sounds tacky,” 

 

Clare starts to hand him the necklace but stops at the last minute.  “We do this my way, Gold; binding spell, no tricks or cons,” she warns him,  “If you do anything else other than a binding spell, you'll be joining Mariana in that cell,” 

 

Gold sighs.  “I promise, no tricks or cons,” he swears and Clare gives him the necklace.  Gold walks over to the cell and looks to Charming to open it.  Charming glances over briefly at Emma and Clare; she gives her approval and he opens the cell door. 

 

Gold walks into the cell, clears his throat, awaking a sleeping Mariana.  She picks herself up and looks at him.   

 

“What's this? You're going to lead me to my execution, Gold? How appropriate,” she seethes.  

 

“We're not executing you, Mariana,” Clare says, “That's not how things work here, that's not the kind of people we are.  You will pay for what you've done in time but we're not killers,” 

 

Gold regards Mariana, smiling coyly, dropping the necklace from his hand.  

 

“Hey, that's mine?!” she retorts, leaping from the chair to grab it but Gold snatches it away.  “You're not killers but you're perfectly fine with breaking and entering.  That's some morals you have in your family,” 

 

“Get on with it Gold,” Clare warns him.  

 

Mariana stares at him curiously.

 

Clare turns away temporarily and Emma looks at her.  “Hey, you decided the right thing,” she reminds her, “We're not killing her,”

 

“I know, that's not what's bothering me, though,” Clare adds, “I feel bad about before. I know you're only trying to help and I...I'm still figuring this savior role thing...I don't even know how we're going to work on the child-parent relationship...”

 

“We'll make it work, based on what fits best for us,” Emma replies, smiling at her thoughtfully.  

 

Before Clare can say anything further, there's a strong rumble beneath them. Killian grabs Emma, holding onto her while Clare grabs Michael, holding onto him as she shouts at to Gold, “What the bloody hell are you doing Gold? Gold?!” 

 

The tremors stop abruptly and Clare runs into the cell to find Mariana crouched in a corner and Gold smiling pleased with himself.  “That binding spell wasn't supposed to make the ground do that was it?” she asks. 

 

He doesn't say and she reaches for his hand. Gold sighs, opening his hand, revealing a different piece of jewelry and then removes the locket Clare gave him, still sitting in his pocket.  “Just a slight of hand, Miss Logan; the most basic of magic tricks,” he says, “Trust me, Miss Logan, this is the safest solution for dealing with Mariana.  Your parents were right, a binding spell is only a temporary solution but what I've done is a little more permanent,”

 

“What did you do?” Charming demands.  

 

Mariana holds up her head, tears smearing her eyeliner.  “He condemned me,” she cries, “A fate worse than death. There's no saving me now, not that any of you would care,” 

 

TBC


	5. Do we have a deal?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He smiles at her. “I am very impressed by your quick thinking Clare,” he muses, “I'll tell you what? I'll make you a deal. I will let you have whatever you need to take care of the wraith if you promise to do something for me later,”

Clare wants to scream. As if matters could not get any worse, Gold decided to go rogue and take care of Mariana his way which will probably endanger the whole town in the process. She knew that she shouldn't have trusted Gold to do the right thing and now, she has to clean up his mess and find some way to save Mariana.

“This is not going to be easy,” she breathes, “What are we dealing with here? What did he summon?”

Emma shrugs. “I don't know. It could have been anything,”

“Whatever it is, we have to be ready,” Clare reasons, “Someone needs to stay here with Mariana, watch her and make sure that she is safe from harm,”

“Why?” Charming asks bluntly and they all look at him. “It's not a stupid question. It's just why do we even need to bother? If the thing Gold summoned is only after her, then maybe we should let it take care of her,”

“Great idea,” Clare snaps, “And then what happens when it decides it wants to kill us too?”

“No, you have to save her! She's still my mom,” Michael cries.

“Charming and I will stay with Mariana, keep guard,” Snow offers, “You and Emma should find a way to contain, send or kill whatever is coming,”

“You can't kill something that's already dead,” Gold says suddenly, interrupting their conversation.

Clare's eyes narrow on him, finally piecing together what he summoned. “Really? You summoned zombies to kill the mayor?” she retorts.

“Not zombies dearie,” he laughs, leaning on his cane. “But they are dead, as Mariana will be...in a sense once they get a hold of her soul,”

“Zombies eat souls?” Emma questions. “That's gross,”

“Wraiths,” Clare corrects and all heads turn towards her, “No one ever read Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings? Never mind. They're soul suckers, they suck souls leaving the victim soulless or lifeless but not really dead,”

“That generally sucks,” Emma notes. “When should we be expecting them?”

Clare looks at Gold, raising a curious eyebrow. “They don't like the light, but since there are only so many hours left until night falls, Mariana is safe for the time being,” he reasons, looking at Clare. “Unless you come up with a plan to kill a wraith which is next to impossible since they're already dead, I'm afraid you have very few options,”

“Not all of them,” she reasons, “This is a town of fairytale characters and you run the pawn shop which I'm guessing you have something of everyones in there. Have anything that might be able to help us Gold?”

He smiles at her. “I am very impressed by your quick thinking Clare,” he muses, “I'll tell you what? I'll make you a deal. I will let you have whatever you need to take care of the wraith if you promise to do something for me later,”

Emma, Killian, Charming and Snow look worriedly at Clare. “Clare, think about this for a moment,” Snow advises, “This is Rumpelstiltskin, the Dark One, he makes deals for a living and if you agree to this, he will collect. Choose wisely,”

“There're four or five hours until the sun goes down and the wraith moves in on Mariana,” she reasons, “We can't kill it because it's already dead but we can find a way to send it somewhere else so it can't hurt anyone,”

“Then we'll find that other way,” Charming adds, “Clare, listen to your grandmother. We've dealt with Rumpelstiltskin before,”

She glances at her parents and grandparents. Four or five hours isn't enough time to figure out a new plan but she's sure that she can find something in Gold's shop and they'll be ready to face the wraith, saving Mariana. “If we do nothing, there's no assurance that the wraith won't attack anyone else,” she adds, looking squarely at Gold. “Anything I need from your shop to take care of the wraith...it's free of charge?”

“I'll consider the items borrowed,” he reasons, “Do we have a deal?”

“Clare, we'll figure out another way,”

“We can't kill her,” she reminds them, “Even with four or five hours of planning and converting brooms into torches, it's still not enough to protect the town from this evil,”

“Clare, sweetheart,” Killian steps forward, “The wraith is only after Mariana...”

“So you're okay with it taking her soul?” she retorts, “I – none of us can take the chance that it could hurt someone else,” Clare looks at Gold again, extending her hand to him. “You have a deal,”

Gold grins at her. “Wonderful, I think you know where to find my shop,” he reasons, “Unless you already know what item you need?”

Clare smiles at him knowingly.

“Smart girl,” he muses.

TBC

 


	6. A Special Hat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma comes over to her as she looks around the shop. “You're brave Clare,” she continues, “The only time I was scared for my life was during a freak storm...” she looks over at her husband, who's also looking around the shop. “But it wasn't just the storm I was worried about,”

Things could get worse before they get better. That's always the scenario but Clare has a feeling whatever favor Gold has in mind for her, it won't include killing someone or putting someone's else life in danger. Her parents are deftly quiet as they come into Gold's shop. Charming and Snow stayed behind at the jail and Clare left Michael in Ruby's care.

Clare knows that they disapprove of her agreeing to Gold's deal but she can't worry about that now.

She wasn't just thinking about Mariana's or the town's safety; she was thinking of Michael. It wasn't too long ago that he was in a hospital bed, fighting for his life and no matter how a short of time that she's gotten to know her son, she doesn't wish further harm to come to him.

He's only eleven and he's her son. She needs to protect him.

Emma comes over to her as she looks around the shop. “You're brave Clare,” she continues, “The only time I was scared for my life was during a freak storm...” she looks over at her husband, who's also looking around the shop. “But it wasn't just the storm I was worried about,”

“What was it then?”

“It was a who,” she says, smiling. “Your father was the Captain of _The Jolly Roger,_ and not knowing any better, made a deal with a witch who wanted him to kill me but he couldn't. So she came to kill me herself and your father stopped her,”

“The witch died?

“Not exactly,” Emma muses, gesturing to the jail cell and Clare smiles, shaking her head. “But the moment he saved me, I knew...”

“Knew what?”

“That he loved me as much as I loved him,” she whispers, “And love him, even more, today because he gave me the greatest gift: a beautiful, selfless daughter,”

Clare frowns slightly. “I know you want to think that I was a good girl throughout my life but the truth is, I wasn't always,”

“Life couldn't have been easy for you Clare, I get that,” Emma adds, “If the curse taught me anything, it's that life isn't always fair. I fell in love with the community priest, the most unavailable man in Storybrooke and sang bad karaoke because he broke my heart which was inevitable because of the priest thing,”

“It wasn't just the town I was worried about,” Clare admits.

“You were thinking of Michael's safety; you needed to put him first,”

“No one has ever cared so much about me for a long time and if something else happened to him? – and I could have done something to prevent it?” she cries,

“If we were back in our land, the curse never happened and your life was threatened Clare, I probably would have made the same decision,” Emma soothes.

Clare smiles at her thoughtfully, and Killian smiles at them from across the room. Clare turns her attention to the object in front of her and she picks it up.

“Perfect,”

~~

“What is it?” Snow asks, “You found what you needed?”

Clare smiles at her happily, setting the object in question on the sheriff’s table. Her family crowds around, looking at it and then to Clare. “It's a hat,” Charming notes.

“But it is not just any hat, it has magic” Clare continues, “This is a special hat,”

“It's a hat,” Snow manages, smiling quaintly at her.

Clare sighs. “You guys aren't seeing the bigger picture,” she says, “Has no one seriously read _Alice in Wonderland_ or _Through the Looking Glass_? This is the Mad Hatter's hat. In Michael's book, the hat can transport anyone to any land,”

“But the curse destroyed our land,”

“...which means wherever we send it, it can't hurt anyone,” she reasons.

Charming crosses his arms and sighs, unsure of the plan. Clare comes over to him. “This will work but we can't do it here. We need to go somewhere with a lot of space,” she reasons, “And Mariana needs to come with,”

He arches his eyebrow. “You mean to let her out of her cell?”

“She's powerless and she won't cause any trouble, isn't that right Mariana?” she hollers back to her.

“Swear on my little dark heart, I won't hurt anyone,” she promises.

“We don't have much time to argue about this; you just need to have faith in me that this will work,” Clare promises.

TBC

 


	7. Clare vs. the Wraith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I don't know isn't good enough!” he seethes, grabbing her arms and backing her into a corner.

Mariana doesn't understand. She doesn't understand why the daughter or rather a granddaughter of her daughter's arch nemesis would want to protect her. Snow White destroyed Regina's life, cursed her to eternal hell and Clare's risking sending the wraith to another realm, to protect her from it.

“None of this makes any sense,” Mariana says suddenly as Clare follows her into city hall.

“What doesn't make any sense?” Clare counters, holding the Hatter's hat.

Mariana sighs, turning back to her. “Why are you protecting me instead of letting the wraith suck out my soul, especially after what I did to your family?” she says, looking back at Killian and Emma as they help Charming create a perimeter around the room. “I'm the reason that you were separated from them, Miss Logan. You should want me dead for what I've done,”

Clare shrugs, smiling sarcastically at her. “As evil as you might be Mariana, no one deserves to have a part of them stolen or taken,” she reasons, “Even you and I do resent you for what you did, but I also understand why you did it. You lost your daughter and you wanted my family to suffer,”

“Still, with me out of the way, you can be Michael's mother,”

Clare sighs. “I do want to have some part of his life but I also recognize, you deserve a little bit too. I know I wasn't equipped to take care of him when he was born but I am thankful that family still found him,” she reasons and Mariana smiles hopefully. “I mean, not only did he end up in a town with my parents but his grandparents as well. That is more than amazing, it's incredible,”

“Of course,” Mariana agrees.

“Okay,” Charming announces, interrupting them, “Perimeter's set up. You know how to get the hat to um – do whatever it's supposed to do?”

Clare looks down at the hat and then glances to Mariana, giving it to her. “You're the one with the magic here, you must know how to get it to work,” she reasons.

“I am somewhat familiar with how the hat works,” Mariana starts, “But my magic is limited at the moment. I'm not sure I can do what you need me too,”

“We need magic,” Clare insists, “Even if you're powerless now, there must be some way...”

Before Clare can finish that thought, there's that rumble and a dark, ear-piercing howling. Charming and Snow take positions, as Clare goes with Mariana to the back of the room. Mariana stares at the hat, unsure if she can get it to work and then she looks up at Clare. “You can do this, Mariana,”

She starts spinning the hat.

Lights begin to flicker and that same ear piercing howling gets louder. Charming flips open the lighter in his hand and lights his and Mary Margaret's brooms as Mariana tries harder to get the hat to work.

Suddenly, the howling stops and all the lights go out. Clare looks to her parents and then to Mariana. “Maybe something summoned it away,” she says wistfully.

“That can't be,” Mariana breathes.

There's a loud crack as the wraith bursts into the room, hovering over all of them. Clare cries for Mariana to get the hat to work as David and Mary Margaret try to fend it off. Killian and Emma stand their ground, standing on opposite sides of Clare, watching as David and Mary Margaret continue fighting off the wraith.

The wraith aggressively lunges forward, knocking out Mary Margaret and then heads for Mariana.

“Snow!” Charming cries, but Mary Margaret's still unconscious.

“Nothing's working!” Mariana cries.

Clare kneels closer to her, touching her arm and the two women stare as the hat begins spinning.

“Incoming!” David shouts, as the wraith dives over them.

The wraith flies towards Mariana but at the last minute, Clare pushes her out of the way and the wraith is pulled into a growing purple vortex.

Emma and Killian can still hear it scream but it's not over yet.

The portal still isn't closed.

Emma notices one of the hands of the wraith stick out and grabs Clare's leg, pulling her into the vortex.

“No!” Emma cries and lunges forward to the portal. Clare falls into the vortex. Killian freezes, watching the action and runs after Emma. “I am not losing her again!”

“I'm not either,” he cries as Emma leaps into the vortex but by the time Killian reaches the hat, the vortex is closed.

Emma and Clare are gone.

David rushes over to Mary Margaret and helps her stand as Mariana stands over Killian and the hat. Killian grabs the hat, trying to make it spin again but it's no use.

“What happened to them? Where did they go?” he demands, glaring at Mariana.

“I don't know, I don't know,” she cries.

“I don't know isn't good enough!” he seethes, grabbing her arms and backing her into a corner.

“Killian,” Mary Margaret starts, looking between them and noting they're missing two other people. “Where's Emma and Clare? What happened?”

“What happened is this witch tricked us,” he retorts angrily, “You wanted them gone all along. This is your fault, Mariana!”

“I beg to differ,” Charming interrupts, stalking over to Killian, grabbing him by the collar and pinning him against the same wall. “This is your fault, Killian,”

Mariana fixes her collar and stands to the side.

“You were supposed to keep them both safe and look, what happened?! Emma and Clare are gone because of you. I always knew that you were no good for this family and I was right all along. They could be lost or worse, dead,”

“Stop it! Stop it!” Mary Margaret cries, stepping behind her husband and pulling him off Killian. Charming wants to grab him again but Mary Margaret stands in between. “Stop it, both of you! All this bickering isn't helping matters. We need to figure out a strategy to fix this, which we will do together as a family,”

“I have a strategy and it doesn't involve a certain pirate screwing us all over,”

“Now, wait a minute Charming ---”

“What happened?”

Charming, Killian and Mary Margaret turn as Michael runs into the room, followed by Ruby. “What happened? Where's Emma and Clare?” he asks.

Mary Margaret glares at David to back off as she walks over to the boy, kneels down and pushes his bangs aside. “There was an accident and Emma and Clare fell into the hat,”

Michael glances at Charming and Killian and then to Snow. “But they're not dead? The wraith didn't get them?” he cries.

“No, but we were able to stop the wraith from attacking Mariana and sent it somewhere far so it can't hurt anyone else,” Snow continues, “And I promise you, Michael, we will do everything possible to get Emma and Clare back. You just need to have faith,”

Michael looks at Charming and Killian, steps away from Snow and walks over to Killian.

“It was an accident Michael,” Killian reassures him, “A terrible accident. The wraith grabbed Clare's ankle and dragged her into the portal and Emma went after her. I tried to get to them but it was too late,”

Killian doesn't know how to interpret Michael's stoic expression until he smiles calmly. “It's okay. We'll find a way to get them back,” the boy says confidently. “It won't be easy but we'll find a way,”

Killian sighs and hugs the boy, kissing his forehead and looks up at Mary Margaret and David. Mary Margaret smiles at him proudly and David, no shocker there, isn't convinced. Killian shakes off David's disapproving gaze and notices for the first time that Mariana is missing.

“Perhaps before we start working on a strategy, we should send out a search party to look for that witch who got us into this mess,” he suggests and David and Mary Margaret notice that Mariana is gone too.

“We'll find her later,” Mary Margaret adds, “There aren't too many places she can hide,”

“Too right lass,” Killian agrees and extends his hand to Michael. “C'mon Michael,”

“What makes you think I'm going to let you take care of him when –?” Charming charges, eliciting another angry glare from his wife.

“Now is not the time to start fighting amongst ourselves Charming,” Killian warns, “And besides, Emma and Clare would have wanted me to take care of him and I will do everything in my power to get them back. And you best stay out of my way otherwise you'll find yourself on the wrong end of a sword,”

~~

Killian doesn't want to admit that it's hopeless especially in front of Michael but he doesn't have the first clue on how to fix this problem. With Mariana missing and a tattered old hat as their only portal, it doesn't look promising. But he needs to be hopeful for Michael, who only met formerly his grandmother and helped reunite his mom with her family only a day earlier.

Michael's always been full of hope.

But now, watching him drop his backpack on the floor and walk over to a picture of Emma and Clare, his heart nearly breaks. Emma always had faith that no matter how hopeless, things would always work out. She was determined to beat destiny and fight to keep her daughter, even though destiny won out in the end.

Killian needs to be optimistic for Michael.

“Michael,” he starts and the boy turns to him. “Don't worry. Emma and Clare are alive,”

“How do you know?”

Killian is taken aback a moment, wondering how he knows that they're alive when he isn't sure himself. Optimism, he reminds himself and then he remembers something Snow said to him once. “I have faith,” he reasons.

“But...?”

Killian pulls him aside and kneels down, looking at him eye level. “Come here. I will find them. I will always find them,” he says, smiling hopefully.

Michael sighs, smiling somewhat hopefully and he backs away, goes to Clare's room and sits alone on the bed.

“I will find them,” Killian vows, “Because family always finds each other,”

TBC

 


	8. It's My Fault

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Is that really how you see yourself?”

Reality doesn't set in until Killian wakes the next morning, turns over in bed and sees the empty space beside him where Emma should be sleeping. He thinks hopefully that she maybe she's in the shower and she'll be walking into the room any moment, tempting him to help her dry off, smiling seductively.

He'll hold her close and kiss her good morning before inevitably, joining Clare and Michael for breakfast in the main room. There might be some crisis for them to solve but if not, he'll be content to lay with Emma forever and forget the world. Because she was always his world, his ocean that he could swim in for years and never tire.

She was his precious jewel, her golden hair the sunshine in his darkness and her body, a mystery to discover.

Now, Killian opens his eyes and the space beside him is still empty and Emma's not in the shower, and Clare's not already awake in the next room making her breakfast.

Neither of them is there and Killian feels their absence more this morning than last night, when he remembered watching them disappear into the hat, sucked into...well...he doesn't really know where.

They could be anywhere and it kills him that he doesn't know if they're all right.

Clare, he figures can probably take care of herself, from what little he knows of her but Emma, he worries about his wife. She can be fierce when she needs to be, but shrinks when she feels overwhelmed. And Killian wishes he could look into her eyes and tell her everything will be all right.

He misses his wife and daughter so much and if Michael weren't there, would probably collapse under the weight of his own guilt. But his grandson needs him to be strong.

Killian closes his eyes a moment, breathing in slowly and exhaling. He opens his eyes a second later and sits up, grabs his clothes, cleans up and makes his way to the main room. Michael's already there eating cereal.

The boy looks up at him and Killian smiles.

“We have to get you to school,” he says, “Finish up your cereal and grab your bag. What time does your bus come?”

“8:30,” Michael says, eating the last of his cereal before hopping down from the stool and grabbing his backpack. He looks at Killian and he pats the boys' shoulder, picking up a spare key for the apartment and ushers him out.

~~

Killian and Michael make it to the bus stop early. A few other kids walk towards them and Killian looks down at Michael. He smiles at him reassuringly. “Don't worry about your mum and grand mum. I'll be working on a strategy to get them back,” he says.

“Yeah,” Michael muses, “I was thinking about what you said last night about faith, and I remembered, you were a priest when you were cursed. I know miracles don't happen often but I really hope God watches Emma and Clare wherever they are,”

“I hope so too lad,” Killian adds and looks up at the bus pulls up. “Go on then. I'll be back here later to pick you up. I promise, Michael,”

A few of the kids get on the bus first but as soon as they're passed, he hugs Killian. “I believe in you, Killian,” he whispers and dashes on board the bus.

~~

Killian needs a moment which is the only reason he drops by The Rabbit Hole early in the day. The restaurant is empty but the bar is open and that's exactly where he needs to be. He sits down at one of the stools and taps the bar, forcing the bartender to stop drying glasses, turn around and look at him.

As soon as he does, the man freezes, studying him and he leans over the bar, hugging him.

“Killian,” Starkey cries, patting his back. “I wasn't expecting to see you, especially this early,”

“It's good to see you too Starkey; you have no idea how good it is to see a friendly face,” he says, his shoulder slumping over. “And right now, this old friend needs a shot of whiskey, rum, anything strong that will make me forget the screw up I know I am,”

“Something bad happened?”

“Very bad,” he says, “Please Starkey, just give me your strongest. I need it,”

The other man sighs and starts mixing up a cocktail. “Whatever it is Captain, it couldn't have been that bad. The prophecy was right. Clare broke the curse and you and Emma were reunited,” he reasons.

“We were reunited, briefly, before we were torn apart again and it's all my bloody fault,” Killian retorts, “Because there's a curse on me, there always has been. I bring nothing but darkness and misery to all those around me. That is my curse and Emma and Clare are suffering because of me,”

Starkey finishes whipping up the cocktail and hands Killian a glass. “Whatever happened Killian, I'm sure it can be fixed. You and Emma have been through enough tragedies that something good must be coming your way,” Starkey reasons.

Killian grabs the glass and takes a nice long sip. “This time, I feel like it's truly the end. No more happy endings. I always felt that I never deserved Emma's love and now, if I hadn't kidnapped her and agreed to her proposition, she would still be here,” he cries, “She would still be with her parents, safe and sound from me and everything else. What happened to her – what happened to Emma and Clare was my fault because I couldn't protect them,”

“Is that really how you see yourself?”

Killian turns around and rolls his eyes, slumping over the bar, helping himself to another drink. “I don't need your counseling Snow. You don't have to do that anymore,” he says.

Snow walks over to the bar. Starkey bows his head slightly, greeting her as she sits down beside him. “I know that this a rough time for you Killian,” she starts, “Not only because you lost your wife but your daughter too. But you need to remember that you're not the only one suffering. We're all lost and sad about what happened. Charming and I were only starting to get to know Clare but you should know, I don't blame you for what happened,”

“I don't know why not?” he retorts, “If I hadn't kidnapped Emma, if I hadn't made that deal with the witch back in our land, Emma would have never met me, fallen in love and eaten that apple. I caused her so much heartache Snow and failed her too many times,”

Snow looks at Starkey and the man considers her. “It isn't your fault because actually, it's mine,” she reveals.

Killian looks at her skeptically. “Why is it your fault now?” he queries

“Because I was supposed to eat the poisonous apple,” she says. “But I pleaded with Regina to stop all this fighting because hadn't we both suffered enough? I told her that all of this could never bring Daniel back and what she was doing, attacking me and everyone I loved, he would never approve of. He would say that this isn't the woman he fell in love with and he would be ashamed of her. I was selfish but hopeful that she would listen to me and she did. Regina willingly ate the poisonous and fell into a sleeping coma,”

“I mourned for her, for a short time before moving on with my life and taking back the kingdom. I married my True Love, gave birth to a beautiful daughter and lived happily ever after,”

“...until I came along and ruined it all,” Killian adds.

Snow sighs again, ignoring his comment. “That was our world's version of Snow White,” she says, “In this world's version, when the Evil Queen offered me the poisonous apple, I ate it and True Love's kiss saved me. The wicked queen was vanquished and I lived happily ever after,”

“That was how history supposed to read,” Snow reasons, “But I was selfish. I didn't think about the consequences of my actions, what never eating the apple meant for everyone around me. And now, I know, it caused a heartbroken mother to seek vengeance on my family for a single moment that could have changed everything. So, you see Killian, it's not your fault that all of this happened. It's mine,”

“It doesn't change what happened Snow,” he says, “Emma and Clare are still gone,”

She smiles at him thoughtfully. “You're missing my point, Killian,” she adds, “Some people think that destiny is inevitable, the future can't be changed but I think the future is what we make it out to be. We are the architects of our future, Killian, which is why you need to have faith that you will be reunited with your family and good will always win,”

Killian laughs. “That's a lovely thought Snow. I commend you for your attitude but I'm still on the fence about good winning especially when evil won bonus points last night,” he retorts.

“It's a temporary setback,” Snow adds, “You and Emma always find a way back to each other and you will again. You need to have faith, Killian,”

“Faith's a hard thing to believe in, especially for this former priest,” he retorts, smiling slightly.

“Well, I have faith in you,” she smiles proudly, “and I believed you last night when you vowed that you would do everything possible to get them back,”

“I wish your husband shared the same sentiment but I think we both know where he stands, concerning me. He's always hated me; never thought I was good enough for her,”

“Charming loves his daughter and if you think, he isn't broken this morning, mourning this loss, you're gravely mistaken,” Snow says flatly.

“If anything, last night proved that he was right,”

Snow looks at Starkey and then to her son-in-law. “Then you need to prove him wrong,” she says, “I know my husband Killian and he can be very stubborn, and the only way to make him see the light is to show him that you're not broken. Think of this as a test, a test of your strength. But I can tell you, if he were to walk in here right now, you would never hear the end of it,”

Starkey pushes away his glass and Killian sighs. “Now, the both of you are plotting against me,” he retorts.

“I agree with your mother-in-law,” Starkey adds, “The Captain I sailed under, he never let anything get to him. He fought an evil witch and he won. He did what was necessary to get the job done,”

“That Captain didn't have a wife or daughter then,”

“Now you do and have twice the motivation to fight and get them back,” Starkey reasons.

“Michael is depending on you to save his grandmother and his mom,” Snow reminds him. “You can't give up, Killian,”

Killian looks between his friend and mother-in-law and sighs. “Sometimes I hate you two,” he whines, “I'm trying to enjoy my lovely cocktail and then you come in, preaching about hope and determination...it's exhausting and irritating but in a good way,”

Starkey grins, wiping down the counter as Killian hops off the stool, straightens his shirt and walks towards the exit. He stops about midway and turns back to Snow. “Not many people believe in me Snow but thank you, for sticking by me again,” he says. “Your um, very good at propping me up when I need it,”

“Just because we're not cursed anymore doesn't mean that I stop being your friend, Killian,” Snow says.

“Thank you again, Snow,” Killian adds and leaves the bar.

Snow smiles proudly and turns to Starkey. “Thanks for the backup,” she says.

“Anytime your highness,”

tbc

 


	9. Who Are You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “If you're a friend, you would have a proper name,” Clare points out, drinking whatever he gave her slowly.

Clare hears voices whispering around her, slowly coming to. Her vision is still hazy but that's probably because of a giant headache. She moans, trying to sit up and finds Emma lying beside her, still knocked out.

“Emma? Emma?! Wake up!” she cries, shaking her arm.

Emma stirs slightly but doesn't wake. Clare hears the voices again but everything is dark.

“She's waking,” someone says.

Clare looks to what she thinks is the right direction of the voice and feels a presence crouch over her. “Easy there, easy,” he says.

“Where are we? Who are you?” she manages.

“Where you are,” he continues, “is clearly no near where you came from and who I am, let's say I'm a friend,”

Clare's head still feels dizzy but her vision is getting better and she can make the form of a young man with brown hair. Where they are is in a cave, which explains why everything is still dark. She looks over to Emma, who's still knocked out cold.

“I have a really bad headache,” she moans.

“That's probably because your arrival wasn't quite pleasant,” the stranger reasons and he hands her a cup. She looks at it strangely. “It's not poison but I promise, it'll help with a headache,”

Clare tentatively takes a sip and sits up better, finding herself leaning against a rock. “Who are you again?” she asks.

“A friend,” he says.

“If you're a friend, you would have a proper name,” Clare points out, drinking whatever he gave her slowly.

He smiles at her. “It's Robert,” he says finally, “And you are?”

Before Clare can say, Emma finally wakes, sees Clare with the stranger and comes over to her. “What are you doing talking to a stranger? Seriously, he could be someone dangerous,” she cries.

“Who gave me medicine to soothe my headache,” Clare reasons, showing off the cup, “And didn't attack us when we were knocked out. They seem very dangerous, horrible people. We must do something about it right away,”

Robert stifles a laugh behind them.

Emma glances back at him and then stands slowly, still somewhat disoriented as Clare follows her. Robert stands too.

“Thank you for helping us whoever you are but we really need to get going,” Emma starts, turning Clare away from him. “We need to find a portal or something that will get us back to Storybrooke,”

“Wait,” Clare starts and Emma stops walking. “We can't do anything until we know where we are exactly,” She turns back to Robert, studying his clothes. “Where are we?”

“The Enchanted Forest or what's left of it," Robert starts.

Emma looks at him skeptically. “That’s not possible. We were told that nothing survived the curse and this place was destroyed,”

Robert shrugs. “Well, most of the land was destroyed, spared for whatever reason but the curse didn’t take everyone,” he reasons.

“The curse spared you?” Clare questions, “How is that possible?”

“I don’t know the answer to that m’lady,” he says and Clare smiles slightly at the formal title. “Again, I offer my men and my services to help you find a way get back to your land,”

“Our land?” Clare asks.

“Well, you two aren't from here, or at least she is and you're not,” She referring to Emma and you're to Clare.

“Really? How do you figure that?” Emma challenges.

Robert sighs. “Because you're the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming and you – you must be the foretold savior who would break the evil witch's curse,” he reasons, “Am I right so far?”

“That's a pretty good guess actually,” Clare surmises, “And I did break the curse but I still have more Savior stuff to do, which includes figuring out a way to get us back home to Storybrooke,”

“Right, to your Storybrooke,” Robert finishes, “...which I would love to learn more about. Again, I'll gladly offer my services to you ladies, if you'll have me,”

“We don't need you,” Emma retorts, “I'm from here and think I know my way around,”

“I don't dispute that m'lady but a lot has changed since the last time you were here. This land is more dangerous than you might remember. Trust me, you'll need a guide to get you through it,” he reasons.

“He could be right,” Clare agrees, looking at Emma. “We could be anywhere in the Enchanted Forest and in case you haven't noticed, we didn't exactly come through with a GPS. We need a guide and Robert seems harmless enough. My head is even feeling better,”

Emma's still reluctant to trust him but what other choice do they have?

“Robert,” Emma starts, “that's your name. You will help us as long as we need and then we go our separate ways,”

“Fair enough,” he agrees and grabs his things.

Clare takes another long sip of her drink and tosses it. As soon as they exit the cave, they're confronted by two other men. Clare and Emma immediately tense but Robert leans into Clare. “No need to be worried, these are my friends: John and Will,”

Both men bow and John steps forward with two plates. “For when you woke up, which you obviously have,” he says, “Pretty ladies,”

“Emma and Clare,” Robert adds.

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Emma and Clare,” Will says.

“Thank you for the food,” Clare says, taking a bite. “Chicken, it tastes pretty good actually,”

“Actually that's Chimera,” Emma corrects, “One part lion, one part serpent, one part goat,”

Clare stops chewing, considering what she's saying and Emma smirks. “But I'm told on occasion, it can taste like a duck too,” she teases.

The other men start chuckling. Clare is not amused, hangs her head, “I'm going to hate it here,” she moans.

TBC


	10. You Lost Me on the Ogres Part

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert smirks at her. “Took long enough to catch on, Clare,” he says, “I wagered that it would take you at least a day to figure that one out,”

Clare still doesn't know what to make of her companions. Emma's still wary of them, watching her looking curiously at Robert. John and Will are ahead of them and Clare's fallen back, walking beside Robert. Her head is feeling a lot better, thanks to whatever Robert gave her before. She's not as worried about him as Emma but still cautious.

“Where are you taking us?” Clare asks and Robert glances at her.

“Nowhere in particular,” he says.

Clare stops walking, glaring at him and he turns back to her. She isn't at all amused but that doesn't stop Robert from grinning, looking at her. “So, we've been walking around with no specific destination in mind for hours? Why? For fun? Just to get a little exercise?” she retorts.

He shrugs. “Trust me m'lady, I have a plan to ensure your safety,” he assures her, “But walking helps me concentrate,”

Emma quickly steps in to diffuse the situation.

“So when the evil witch's curse hit, it was supposed to bring everyone from the enchanted forest to the other side but it didn't touch everyone because you're still here with your friends. How come the curse didn't affect you?” she asks, interrupting them and wanting to put distance between Clare and Robert.

“What makes you think that it didn't?” he counters. “We were frozen in time too. Everything went back to normal when time resumed, thanks to your daughter I suppose,”

That shuts up Emma much to her own annoyance, and she walks ahead of them, leaving her and Robert alone.

Clare's expression softens , and she looks at Robert. “Don't mind her,” she adds, “She's just being protective,”

“She doesn't even look old enough to be your mother,” he notes.

Clare shakes her head. “Don't remind me. The dynamics of it all can give you a headache,” she says.

He laughs and they continue walking together. After a silencing lull, he looks over at Clare curiously and remembers the curse. He knows little of what happened to everyone else but he knows that they ended up in a different land and were ripped away from all their happy endings. She catches him staring, and he smiles at her, scratching the back of his head.

“What?”

“I was wondering... how did you do it?”

“Do what?” she counters.

Robert stops walking and turns to her. “Break the curse,” he says.

Clare stiffens, her walls coming up again. “How are most curses broken in fairytales? True love's kiss and my son – he's as stubborn as I am but a bigger believer,” she admits.

“You have a son,” Robert muses, “And you didn't believe him about the curse,”

“Not at first, no,” she admits, “None of this is supposed to be real. I mean, look at you, if the curse hit, it should have brought you and all your friends to Storybrooke. But here you are, wandering around the enchanted forest with bows and arrows and wearing poor man's clot --” Clare looks up at John and Will and then to Robert, noting his hood and quiver on his back. “Seriously, you have got to be kidding me...”

Robert smirks at her. “Took long enough to catch on, Clare,” he says, “I wagered that it would take you at least a day to figure that one out,”

“That is not funny,” she retorts, “I'm not from here. How was I supposed to know? Why didn't you tell me?” she counters.

Robert stops walking and turns to her. “Because Clare, like you said, none of this is supposed to be real and yet, here you are and you still don't believe and that's a problem, especially if you want to get back home,” he says.

“Why is it such a big deal I believe? What does it have to do with getting us home?” she counters. “How do you even know so much about what I'm supposed to do?” she wonders.

He laughs. “Trust me, I know a lot more than you realize, Clare. How do you know about your parent's stories?”

She shrugs. “Through my son's fairytale book,” she reasons, “Which aren't based on the traditional fairy tales,”

He smirks. “That's how I know about you, through stories,” he muses, “Clare, your name was already a legend before you were even born. The daughter of Princess Emma and former Captain Killian Jones, the savior of the kingdom, destined to break the evil witch's curse and save us all, restore everyone's happy endings. Stories, Clare,”

Clare looks down. “The prophecy could have been wrong,” she adds.

“But you broke the curse,” he corrects.

“Only because I didn't want my son to die,” she cries, “And you're wrong, I believe now,”

“No, you don't. You're only partially there,” Robin corrects and Emma catches up to them, interrupting their banter, Will and John following close behind.

“I have an idea,” Emma voices, “It's pointless to keep wondering around unprotected. We should go somewhere safe and figure out a plan, or something that'll get us back to Storybrooke,”

Robin glances at Will and John. “I'm sorry to tell you this m'lady, but most safe havens were destroyed when the evil witch's curse hit,” he tells her, “Trust me, it's safer to keep walking until we come upon a cabin where we can get food and maybe supplies,”

“If you need supplies, I know exactly where we can go,” Emma reasons. “My parent's castle,”

Robin leans back, considering that option. “How far is it from here?” he wonders.

“Not far,” she blurts.

He shrugs. “All right, if we can at least get supplies from there, I suppose it's worth the journey. But we better make it there fast. It's dangerous at night with the wraith flying about, not to mention the ogres,”

“Wraith,” Emma breaths and Clare blanks. “There's a wraith here?”

“You lost me on the ogres part,” Clare adds.

“The wraith's gone now. They don't like the light very much which is why we have to keep moving,” he reasons.

“If my parent's castle is still intact, we can stay there for the night,” Emma says.

TBC


	11. They've Got a Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clare only rolls her eyes. “Do you know who he is?” she asks and Emma looks at her oddly. “Did you know who he is?”

_They're hiding something, Robin knows it. The worried pale looks on their faces when he mentioned the wraith. It occurred to him that maybe Clare and Emma were the reason the wraith attacked but he doesn't want to make insinuations._ , Robin knows it. The worried pale looks on their faces when he mentioned the wraith. It occurred to him that maybe Clare and Emma were the reason the wraith attacked but he doesn't want to make insinuations.

“They're hiding something,” John adds, “You saw the look on their faces,”

“I did,” Robin admits, “but if they know a way back to their Storybrooke, that's all I care about, especially since that's where he is,”

“I thought you dropped the revenge thing?” Will adds.

“Twenty-eight years frozen in time, unable to do anything, it doesn't change what he did. He needs to pay for what he did to her,”

“Robin,” John starts, “Don't you think that maybe – what happened was an accident and you need to move on? I know you loved her, we all did but she would not want this for you to be like this,”

Robin shrugs. “I don't care. He's the reason she's dead and – I thought I was the leader, here? You follow me. I would appreciate a little support,” he retorts.

“We do Robin, but vengeance only gets you so far,” John reminds him, “And the only reason we've stayed with you this long is to make sure that nothing bad happens to you,”

Robin raises his hands and walks ahead of them.

Clare watches him from the rear, wondering what has him all worked up.

It isn't lost upon Emma as Clare walks beside her, her attitude and curiosity about Robin. All of this is new to her and meeting another storybook character and his band of merry men, probably warrants more than a few drinks.

“I always thought he would be a little taller,” Emma notes and Clare looks at her weird. “So nice to finally have your attention,”

Clare only rolls her eyes. “Do you know who he is?” she asks and Emma looks at her oddly. “Did you know who he is?”

Emma smirks and laughs.

Clare isn't amused. “I can't believe I'm the only one who didn't catch on that we're traveling with Robin Hood and two of his Merry Men,”

“I remember hearing stories about him when I was a child. The Evil Queen framed your grandmother for the murder of your great grandfather. She found a huntsman to kill her but he let her go and she wondered around the forest. She came upon Robin's camp and they took care of her. They helped teach her essential hunting skills to help her survive on her own,” Emma explains.

“Snow White learned her hunting skills from Robin Hood and his merry men,” she says.

“That's what I heard,” Emma continues.

All of this is still unbelievable. Clare never believed in the curse, she didn't believe in fairytales or that Michael's stories were more than stories and yet, her parents are a pirate and a princess, but not just any princess: the daughter of Prince Charming and Snow White. Now, they're heading towards the Charmings' castle for supplies.

“So, Charming's castle, we're not heading there just so we can have a safe place to rest for the night?” she asks, changing the subject

“When the evil witch's curse it, it tore everything apart. There probably isn't anything left, structure-wise but if the wardrobe is still intact, maybe we can use that to get back to Storybrooke. It was built from enchanted wood,”

“The wardrobe? It was,” she says, “So who built it?”

“Pinocchio. Geppetto left the wood carving business to him when he died,”

“Right, the talking puppet became the royal wood carver,”

“He became a real boy, you know,” Emma shoots back, “He may not have been always honest, but my – our family could always rely on him when we needed him,”

“So the wardrobe, you think it has enough magic to bring both of us back to Storybrooke?”

Emma sighs and bites her lip, looking at her wearily. “Actually, I'm not sure but it's worth of a shot and if it doesn't work, we'll find another way to get back. Don't worry, Clare, we'll get back to Storybrooke and when we get back, we'll deal with MariannaMariana and what she did. No bad deed goes unpunished,”

“What about the wraith?” Clare whispers, “It's my fault they came through, you know that right?”

“It's Rumpelstiltskin's fault for summoning the wraith to take care of MariannaMariana,” Emma counters, “And what happened, was an accident. It grabbed you Clare, and I jumped in after you, but it was not your fault,”

“Why did you do that?”

Emma smiles at her thoughtfully. “Because I didn't want you to be alone, and – it hurt a lot the first time I lost you, I wasn't about to go through that again,” she says.

“I survived by myself for a long time, I think I would have been fine,”

“Maybe but I couldn't let you go again Clare,” she adds.

TBC 


	12. 28 Years...Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma smirks at her. “I haven't always had the closest relationship with her, but she was always there for me,” she continues, “If the curse never happened, Killian and I would have happily raised you here, watch you grow up, teach you how to walk and talk, help you prepare for your first ball, teach you how to dance, sword fight probably from your father,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I messed up earlier with the posting. This is the title for Chapter 12. Happy reading!

It's dark when they arrive at the Charmings' castle. Despite Robin's reluctance, Emma takes the lead but Clare sticks by him, walking down the halls leading to the nursery. Robin orders his men to make sure the rest of the castle is secure as he stands guard outside the room.

Clare looks around the room, memorizing every detail. Clare has few objects from her childhood; she still has the baby blanket she was wrapped in when she was found and brought to the orphanage but nothing else. But looking around the room where she grew up, it nearly brings her to her knees. Emma turns to her and Clare tries to shrug off what she's feeling.

“All of this was supposed to be mine,” she cries.

“The happiest moment of my life was when I finally saw your face and got to hold you in my arms, albeit it was a short union because your father had to whisk you away to the wardrobe before the witch's curse hit,” Emma remembers, “But yes, all of this would have been yours. Did you know your grandmother, my mom sewed your baby blanket? She was the first person I told that I knew I would be expecting, and the first to know your name,”

“Snow White made my baby blanket?” Clare asks incredulously.

Emma smirks at her. “I haven't always had the closest relationship with her, but she was always there for me,” she continues, “If the curse never happened, Killian and I would have happily raised you here, watch you grow up, teach you how to walk and talk, help you prepare for your first ball, teach you how to dance, sword fight probably from your father,”

“The witch's curse took a lot of us, didn't it?”

“Yes, she did,” Emma muses sadly, but looks at her hopefully, “But Rumpelstiltskin was right: you broke it and you saved all of us,”

Clare smiles sarcastically. “Again with the imp?”

“You met him, he's not exactly an imp from the traditional fairy tales,”

“No, he isn't,” she agrees, “And these fairytales, they're not just stories are they? They're a part of my history, where I come from,”

“They're our family history Clare,” Emma corrects, spotting the wardrobe hidden away in a corner. Emma steps away from her and goes over to the wardrobe, opening it up as Clare walks tentatively towards her.

“So, this is it then? The famous wardrobe that brought me to Maine?”

“This is it,” Emma concludes, “Who knows if it has enough magic to bring us both back to Storybrooke; Pinocchio crafted it from enchanted wood. The Blue Fairy told us it could hold only one, you,”

“... otherwise, you would have gone with me?”

Emma looks back at her. “I would have,” she says, “But I learned a long time ago, when destiny knows what it wants, it gets it,”

Clare walks closer to the wardrobe and touches the wood but steps away suddenly, feeling a spark. “What the Hell was that?” she cries.

“I don't know,” Emma muses and looks at her hands. “There's no scars or burns,”

Clare shakes off her hands and steps further away from the wardrobe. “All of this is so surreal,” she starts, “I don't have many things from my childhood. The only tangible thing I have is my baby blanket. Twenty-eight years.... I grew up lost and alone. I wanted to believe that my parents were out there looking for me which became harder to believe as I got older ...”

Emma looks at her thoughtfully.

“I'm horrible at this,” Clare admits, “When I said I wasn't sure how to relate to you both, I neglected to mention how scared I was to let you in, too,”

“You didn't have to. I knew you were,”

“I was angry at you for so long...” Clare cries, “Wondering how you could let me grow up without you. But then just seeing all this... You gave up everything for me and you're still doing that. Sorry. I'm not good at this. I... I guess I... I'm not... I'm not used to someone putting me first,”

Emma comes over to her suddenly and hugs her. “Well, get used to it,” she says, “You're not alone anymore Clare,”

Clare backs away, wiping her tears and exits the room for a breather. She starts down the hall and then stops, looking back at Robin as he looks thoughtfully at her.

“Are you all right?” he asks.

“You eavesdropping?”

He shrugs. “It's hard not to when you're standing right outside,” he admits, “But are you all right Clare?”

“It depends on ,” she says, “I always thought that maybe there was something wrong with me and that's why I was always alone, but that isn't the case anymore is it?”

Robin walks towards her and gently, rubs his hand on her back. “As far as I can tell, there is nothing wrong with you Clare,” he manages, “You didn't know. How could you? You were a baby,”

“I know that... now,” she cries, wiping her tears again. “I abandoned Michael as a child because I didn't think I could be a good mother to him and now, he's all alone too. I have to get back to him Robin,”

“I'll help you and your mother do whatever it takes to get you back to your boy Clare, I promise,” he assures her, smiling at her thoughtfully.

“Thank you, Robin,” she says.

“... the rest of the castle is secure,” John interrupts.

“It's safe to stay here for the night but we will need to move on, eventually. There're limited supplies to help us survive,” Will adds.

Clare smirks. “No, there wouldn't be seeing it's been abandoned for 28 years,” she reasons, “But he's right. We need food,”

“It's not safe to go out now. The ogres are most active at night. We must wait until morning before we can search for food,”

“It's really too bad pizzas don't exist here,” Clare adds, “A slice of cheese pizza would be fantastic right about now,”

“What's pizza?” John asks.

Clare smiles dreamily. “A pie smothered with tomato sauce, topped with cheese and anything you like; though I prefer plain,” she says, “and chocolate, rich, dark chocolate with strawberries,”

Robin smiles at her. “Interesting food you have in your world,” he notes, “Pies here are traditional desserts,”

“... when I mean pie, just that pizza is often round,” Clare clarifies, “and I'm rambling, which probably comes from being tired,” She glances at John and then to Robin. “Good night, both of you and thanks for keeping guard,”

Clare ducks back into the nursery and Robin looks after her, eliciting chuckles from his friend. “What?”

“Look at you all dreamy-eyed,” Will tease, “I haven't seen you like that since Marian,”

Robin glares at him. “Clare's a lovely girl, she is,” he admits, “But that is it,”

He backs away from the room. “The only reason we're helping them is so we can find a way to their world. Gisbourne's there, and he needs to pay for what he did to Marian,”

“Understood,” John agrees, “But it feels wrong using them like this,”

“I agree with John,” Will muses, “Emma and Clare are good people, Robin....”

Robin shakes his head. “Have the two of you forgotten what he did to Marian? I haven't and I've lived with that for almost thirty years. What I need to do, doesn't concern Clare and Emma. This is between me and him,” he retorts, looking at Will. “Will, you have first shift watching over them, rotate with John, then me. Have you looked thoroughly through the castle for anything we can use to help defend ourselves?”

“There's an armory,” Will reports, “Bows and arrows, swords, armor if we need it,”

“Good, take only lightweight weaponry. We can't have anything dragging us down. As soon as it's morning, we move again,”

TBC


	13. Swords, Magic Beans and Beanstalks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma smirks sarcastically at him. “My father is Prince Charming, my mother is Snow White and my husband is a former pirate and you're asking if I know how to handle a sword?” she questions, rolling her eyes.

Clare's not a morning person. Her body doesn't want to get up so after lying face down on a pillow from her crib, she reluctantly wakes up and is taken aback to find Emma gone. Panic momentarily takes over until Robin walks into the room.

“Where's Emma?” she asks.

“Your mother got up early and went hunting with my men for food,” he explains, “They should be back soon. Once they're back and we've eaten, we need to move on,”

“Move on? Why can't we stay here?”

“There's limited supplies in the castle which includes food,” Robin adds, “And it's safer to keep moving,”

Clare glances at the wardrobe and then looks at Robin. “You realize we can't keep moving forever,” she observes, “Emma and I have to find a portal to get back to Storybrooke,”

“Well, we will not find any portals here,” he laughs, “Magic beans maybe but even those are scarce these days and it's not like we have anyone magical to help point the way. It's best to keep moving, Clare,”

“We're back!” Emma announces, carrying a bag of berries and fruits. “No Chimera this time, I promise, but we managed to find a lot of fruits and berries for breakfast, the non-poisonous variety,”

“There were apples...” John adds.

“I don't like apples,” Emma states bluntly, looking at Robin. “I heard that your guys raided the weapons stash last night. Anything we can use?”

“That they did,” he confirms, “You know how to handle a sword?”

Emma smirks sarcastically at him. “My father is Prince Charming, my mother is Snow White and my husband is a former pirate and you're asking if I know how to handle a sword?” she questions, rolling her eyes.

“Point taken,”

“Ooh, can I have a sword?” Clare asks excitedly.

“No,” Emma adds.

Clare's brow furrows. “Why not? Honestly, it can't be that difficult to manage. I watched Star Wars when I was a kid,”

“Lightsabers are not the same, Clare and it takes significant time and practice to master a sword. I know, I trained with your grandfather for weeks before I could finally best him,” Emma explains, “You should start with a staff first,”

“A staff? That hardly seems fair. I mean, shouldn't sword fighting be in my blood? Why do I need to start at the bottom?”

Emma sighs. “Sword fighting should be in your blood but you still have to start at the bottom and then work your way up,” she reasons.

Clare looks at Robin and he raises his hands in defeat. “I'm staying out of this mother-daughter argument,” he says.

Clare slouches and helps herself to some berries, feeling dejected. Robin clears his throat and both women look at him. “As soon as you're both done with breakfast, we're leaving,” he says.

Emma looks worriedly at Clare and then to Robin. “But we can't,” she cries, “We're safer here. If we move again...”

“There's limited supplies in the castle and we might have better luck scouting the area for food. Who knows? We might even come upon a beanstalk and then we can get magic beans,” he reasons.

Clare laughs a little. “Sorry, beanstalk? Magic beans?” she asks.

“We are in a land with magic,” Emma reminds her flatly.

“I know that but what about...?” Clare wonders, trying not to mention the wardrobe behind them so instead, she cocks her head to the side, trying to get Emma's attention.

“Is something wrong with your neck?” Robin asks.

Clare shakes her head. “No, nothing is wrong with my neck but I am wondering, how unlikely it is that we'll find magic beans, much less a beanstalk,” she says, “Couldn't we stay here a little longer?”

“It's not advisable,” Robin reasons, “And even if it is unlikely that we come upon some magic beans, we still have to try,”

“What if there were magic here that could help us?” Clare adds and Emma looks at her worriedly.

Robin looks around the room and spots the wardrobe and smiles. “You mean the wardrobe?” he counters and Emma and Clare stare back at him blankly.

“How – how do you know about the wardrobe?” Emma asks.

“I know how,” Clare muses, “It's because he was eavesdropping,”

Emma looks at him and he rolls his eyes. “I wasn't eavesdropping. I know because I heard rumors about it,” he says, “If you want to try it, go ahead but its magic probably isn't strong enough to send you both back to Storybrooke,”

Clare glances back at the wardrobe and then looks down at her fingers a moment. She looks back at Emma and Robin. If he's right, and the wardrobe doesn't have enough magic to get them both back, she can't leave Emma behind. Killian would be happy to have her back but he would be devastated to lose his wife.

But if there's a chance that maybe he's wrong and the wardrobe can send them both back...

Clare steps away and walks towards the wardrobe and touches it, hoping again to see that spark from before but nothing happens. She hangs her head and Emma comes over, hugging her. “It's okay,” she soothes, “We'll find another way to get back to Storybrooke,”

tbc


	14. The Unexpected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Stop right there!” a voice calls out.

As soon as breakfast is finished, they're on their way again. Emma turns around, taking one last look at the nursery, remembering the way it used to be before the curse; the magical moment the first time she saw it. She remembers how excited Killian was to show her the mobile he specifically requested.

She spent six months in this nursery, counting down the days until the witch's curse and spent her last moments with her husband here before the curse separated them.

“Emma, we need to go,” Robin reminds her.

She looks once more around the nursery, fights back tears as she turns around and Robin hands her a sword.

~~

They don't expect to find any other survivors. As far as Robin and his men know, they are the only ones until they come upon a lonely cabin and see smoke burning from the chimney. Robin warns Emma and Clare to stay back with John and Will as if Emma doesn't know how to defend herself and he starts towards the cabin. They're not the raiding kind but if there's danger, he'd rather be the first to face it then put the two of them in danger.

“Stop right there!” a voice calls out.

Robin freezes where he is, holding up his hands as the cabin's inhabitant comes out from the back, holding a crossbow. His face is covered and doesn't notice the other men behind the trees. “Who are you?”

“We're survivors of the curse, looking for a haven,” he says. “This part of the land was untouched by the curse, do you know why?”

“As if anyone can understand why,” he retorts, “What would have you done if I hadn't spotted you? Raid my cabin and steal my food?”

He shrugs. “We mean you no harm,” Robin says.

“I don't trust bandits,” he breathes.

“Look, we mean you no harm,” Clare says, stepping forward suddenly. “And we're not bandits,”

The stranger looks at Clare, staring at her and then Emma steps forward, shielding her and he looks towards her too. “Emma?” he breathes.

“You know me?” she counters.

The stranger removes the wrap covering his face, and he is a she and it doesn't register with Clare why she is familiar until she sees her entire face.

“Marianna?”

“No, that's not possible,” Emma adds but the woman in front of them bears a striking resemblance to Marianna, or fake Marianna in Storybrooke.

The woman's looks at them hesitantly. They recognize her and after a second look over at Clare, seeing her blue eyes, dark hair and pale skin and then Emma, there's a slight recognition in her face.

Marianna chokes back a cry, smiling at them both and puts down her crossbow. “I never thought I would have the chance to meet my daughter-in-law and my granddaughter,” she cries and hugs them, smiling happily.

Robin looks curiously at Clare.

~~

“I don't understand,” Emma says as Marianna offers her and Robin's men some drinks. “Killian said that you died when he was a boy,”

Marianna sighs, taking a seat between them, fingering the ale in front of her. “Killian's father, and I had a difficult marriage. My aunt warned me he would be trouble but I didn't listen to her because I was so in love with him. We eloped and less than three months later, found myself pregnant,” she explains, rubbing her finger where there should be a wedding ring should be and then notices it on Emma's hand. “Killian's father gave me this promising me ever after and I believed him,”

“But it didn't last?” Clare asks.

“He was a gambler, had amassed so many debts and by the time, Killian was born, I had to decide: either stay and let him drag us down with him or leave. I didn't want to leave without my boy but he wouldn't let me take him, so I left. But I didn't want Killian to think that I abandoned or didn't want him, so I told my husband to tell him I died,”

Clare studied her carefully. “There's a woman in Storybrooke that looks like you but she isn't you,” she says, “Do you know that?”

Marianna tilts her head. “There was a woman. I encountered her in a tavern I owned. She didn't seem like the type to be frequenting such establishments but she was a miserable wreck, crying about how she was separated from her daughter and had no way to wake her from a horrible curse,” she recalls.

“Cora,” Clare realizes.

“I said that I knew what it was like to be separated from your child and it is a pain I live with everyday,” Marianna sighs, “I told her I had a son and he would be a man now. Last I heard, he became a pirate,”

“He was,” Emma remembers.

“I did not understand who she was, but I told her she shouldn't give up hope on finding her daughter or breaking the curse,” she says. “She said that she wouldn't give up because of what I said and before she left, asked me my name and I told her,”

Clare and Emma exchange knowing looks.

“Marianna,” Clare continues, “Do you know what this woman has done in your name? She destroyed my parent's happiness, killed her own daughter to enact the Dark Curse, stole your good name and is in Storybrooke, raising my son. She literally stole your identity,”

“I have a grandson?” she asks incredulously. “It would be lovely to meet him,”

“You could – you can if you come back with us to Storybrooke,” Clare realizes and Emma looks at her worriedly. “What? Marianna's done horrible things in her name and Killian deserves to know that his mother didn't die as he thought,”

Emma doesn't want to say the wrong thing, but she has a feeling, probably motherly intuition kicking that Clare offering Marianna a chance to come back with them has less to do reuniting Killian with his mother and more to do with Clare's vendetta with the mayor. “Clare, can I talk to you for a moment in private?” she asks.

Clare glances at Marianna, Robin and his friends before standing abruptly, joining her mom in a little pow-wow by the fireplace. “I know you mean well but I don't think bringing Marianna back with us to Storybrooke is a good idea,” Emma says.

“Why not?

“I know you have issues with Mar – Cora – her because of Michael but don't drag your grandmother into this mess,” Emma cautions her. “Believe me, it breaks my heart to even suggest this because Killian always told me wonderful things about his mother and I want to get to know her, but we can't bring her back with us Clare,”

Clare glances back at Marianna and then looks to Emma. “I have nothing but good intentions here,” she assures her, “I've been without my family almost my whole life and then I not only gain a son, parents but grandparents as well after breaking a curse and now, another grandmother. If we will be a family, we need to stay together and that includes, bringing Marianna back with us,”

“Normally, I would agree with you but don't let your rivalry with Marianna cloud your judgement,”

Clare sighs, looks back at Marianna again and then to Emma.

“I want her to come back with us,” Emma says, “I want to get to know her. I want Michael to get to know her, and for Killian to reconnect with his mom,”

“There's a but in there somewhere,”

“.. but...”

“I can't,” Marianna interrupts them and Clare and Emma turn to her. “I want to, if only to see my boy again but my ideal reunion with my son I know won't happen. I abandoned him and I don't think that he could easily forgive me for doing that. I wouldn't,”

“But it wasn't your fault,” Clare points out, “You didn't want to leave him. His father, he was the problem, not you,”

Marianna sighs. “You understand that Clare but he may not,” she reminds him, “It's all right,”

~~

Clare doesn't want to leave Marianna but she will respect her wishes. She watches her with Emma and thinks about what they're talking about, probably Killian and bonding over other things. Clare understands the regret in Marianna's heart, she remembers feeling the same regret after giving up Michael for adoption and wondered if they ever met again, would he forgive her for leaving him? Would he understand?

Then, there's also Michael's father, the man she never dares mention. Michael has asked little about him but she knows that he probably wonders about him.

But Clare doesn't let her thoughts linger on him as she always does because he's not worth thinking about.

“Your grandmother is wonderful,” Robin blurts.

“She is,” she admits, “I don't agree with her decision not to come back with us. She's family and I think Killian would be happy to have his mother back in his life, but it's not my decision to make, right?”

Robin smiles at her warmly. “I couldn't help but feel it wasn't Marianna's fault, but her husband's that Killian grew up without her... but there was something else behind you relating to what happened to her,” he reflects.

Clare turns around and looks at him. “I don't know what you're talking about,” she says.

“He abandoned you and that's why you don't talk about him,”

“My parents...”

“I'm not talking about your parents Clare,” he cuts her off, “I'm talking about your sons' father,”

Clare scowls and closes up again. “I – I am not talking about Michael's father with you. He didn't leave me because of an evil witch's curse, nor do I care to theorize about why he left me. Because he's not worth it and I...” she halts and looks around the room, noticing Will, John, Emma and Marianna stare at her. “I really don't like being the center of attention,”

She glares at Robin, shoves past him and abruptly leaves the cabin.

~~

Clare wants to scream. Her heart is pounding so hard and it feels like a panic attack. She doesn't have them often but being reminded of Michael's father usually elicits that reaction. She was with that man for three years, loved him, made plans with him and then he left her with no explanation.

It still breaks her heart, remembering spending too much time in the bathroom one morning and staring at a pregnancy stick with a bright blue line. How was she going to raise a baby by herself?

Abortion was out of the question because she wanted to give her baby a chance, even if it wasn't with her. The following weeks, she found herself on the streets because the apartment wasn't leased to her, it belonged to him and since he couldn't be located, she was forced to move out.

With a baby on the way, homeless and no blood family to speak of helping her, she found sanctuary at a shelter in the city. The nuns happily took her in, got her settled and even helped her look for adoption agencies for her baby.

One night, many months later, when she felt the baby kick for the first time, Clare cried in her bed for hours because yes, she was alone but feeling the baby kick gave her a temporary hope. Things would not be easy for her.

And it was all his fault for abandoning her.

Clare felt the hot tears streaming down her face, looking back at the cabin which was so small. She inhaled and then screamed. It was a short scream but felt so wonderful and freeing. Seconds later, she felt the ground vibrate with a loud thud and vaguely hears a jarring scream echo hers.

She stands still, too scared to run back to the cabin which is exactly what she should be doing. Before she knows it, there's a rustle in the trees and a large beast stalks menacingly towards her. Clare cries and shuts her eyes, bracing for what's coming.

“Run!!!” she hears someone scream.

Clare opens her eyes as an arrow pierces the ogre's eye and it collapses, loudly on the ground. She gets up, doesn't even bother to clean herself and runs off toward the cabin. There could be more coming and as if on cue, someone grabs her leg and hides her beneath the bushes. She turns, curious to know the identity of her savior and it's Robin. She also notices that an arrow is missing from his quiver.

“You sav ---”

He promptly covers her mouth, watching as two more ogres study their dead brother. They linger, trying to see if he's okay to follow them but he's dead and they leave, disappearing once again into the woods. Robin releases his hand from Clare's mouth and she looks at him wide-eyed.

“You saved me,” she manages shakily.

“You bloody stupid girl,” he retorts, “You realize you could have torn to bits and eaten alive!”

Clare feels her neck and looks at him sheepishly. “I was angry, I wasn't thinking,” she apologizes.

“You don't scream, noise attracts ogres and if there's one, there could be more,” he advises.

“I'm sorry,” she cries, “But thank you for saving me, Robin. I won't forget it. How could I? Saved by bloody outlaw, Robin Hood, prince of thieves,”

He rolls his eyes, and he checks again to make sure the field is clear before standing. He turns around, offers Clare his hand and helps her stand, pulling her up with more force than usual and she ends up flush against him.

Clare stares at him intently and she swears he's about to kiss her and then pushes away, hearing Emma, Marianna, Will and John come up to them. Emma hugs Clare, looking her over to make sure she's okay.

“I'm fine,” she assures her, “Just needed a good scream because I was frustrated,”

“Be more careful Clare,” Emma cries, “I lost you once and I refuse to go through that again, you hear me?!”

Clare nods and Emma hugs her again. “Come on, your grandmother has a spare room for us so we can finally get a decent night sleep,” she says.

As Emma turns to leave, she looks at Robin, smiles thankfully at him and escorts Clare away.

“You all right Robin?” John asks.

“Hmm,”

Will waves his hand in front of him and he blinks, looking at him and John. “I'm fine,” he says and walks back towards the cabin.

John shrugs, then he and Will follow him. Marianna lingers a moment and then catches up.

tbc


	15. It's not you, it's me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You did nothing wrong,” she says, “It's not you; it's me. I haven't done this in a long time and last time I did, he walked out on me. I know you probably wouldn't... I mean, you're Robin Hood, the stuff of legends and fairytales and I'm, well, me,”

Marianna shows Emma and Clare to their rooms, helps them with anything else they need. But Clare's not exhausted yet, so she slips out and goes back to the main room. Will and John need not keep watch since they're safe in the cabin and isn't likely that they'll encounter any more trouble tonight. Clare finds Robin alone, sitting by the hearth and he looks up at her as she walks in. He stands up abruptly, and she walks over to him.   
  
“I wanted to apologize for yelling at you before,” she says, “I don't like talking about my past and him,”  
  
“I didn't mean to open old wounds,” Robin adds, “But when you are ready, I'm here to listen,”  
  
She smiles, shifting uncomfortably. “I don't even know you,” she breathes, “The only things I know about you come from stories, watching movies...”  
  
“What are movies?” he asks.  
  
“Moving pictures with sound,” she says, laughing; forgetting he wouldn't understand her real world references because he isn't from her world. Emma knows what she's talking about because the curse gave her knowledge of the real world even though she grew up in Enchanted Forest.  
  
“Apology accepted. I shouldn't have intruded on your past like that,” Robin muses, staring intently at her.   
  
Clare blushes and looks away but continues to feel his gaze lingering on her. She is beautiful, he always knew that, but she's lost too. She's been abandoned, found and lost love and there's a vulnerability there he sympathizes with.   
  
“I am sorry again,” he says.   
  
“You already said that,” she teases.   
  
Robin remembers that moment out in the fields when he swears he almost kissed her and looks back at Clare. “Clare,”  
  
She looks at him and he walks over towards her, gently bracing her cheeks with his hands and kisses her forehead. Clare giggles and she raises an eyebrow studying him curiously. “Um, what was that for?” she asks.   
  
“I don't really know actually,” he admits, “I felt like doing it,”  
  
“You should know that I rarely let random men kiss me like that,” she teases.   
  
Robin smiles. “Then how do you like to be kissed?” he asks, wondering exactly where that line came from.   
  
Clare's cheeks turn a dark shade of red and she backs out of his arms. Robin frowns, confused about her changed attitude. “Clare?”  
  
“You did nothing wrong,” she says, “It's not you; it's me. I haven't done this in a long time and last time I did, he walked out on me. I know you probably wouldn't... I mean, you're Robin Hood, the stuff of legends and fairytales and I'm, well, me,”  
  
He scratches the back of his head. “I like you, Clare,” he admits and his admission shocks her. “And it feels strange for me too because I haven't felt this connection with anyone else in a long time,”  
  
“I guess we're both out of practice,” she laughs then turn serious again. “But all the more reason to stop anything before it starts,”  
  
Robin doesn't know how to respond to that so Clare uses the opportunity to leave him alone. He stands there, wondering if maybe he said or did something wrong.  
  
As Clare turns a corner, she leans back against the wall, her emotions swimming around in her head in different directions.   
  
~~  
  
Clare sighs quietly before joining Emma in their room. Marianna's there, keeping her company and both women turn towards her when she enters. Clare smiles at her grandmother and tries one more time to convince her to come back with them. She declines but thanks her for trying. She hugs her good night, thanks her again for helping them. Emma does the same, and she quietly leaves them alone.   
  
Clare settles in for bed as Emma does and laughs. “This feels like home,” she says.   
  
“It does,”   
  
Clare turns over on her side and faces her mum. “Do you think that we'll find a way home?” she wonders, “What if there isn't a way and we're stuck here,”  
  
Emma frowns. “I'd rather not think that,” she reasons, “Last time I was feeling desperate and alone, I ate a poisonous apple,”   
  
“I know, I read Michael's book,” Clare remembers. “I never read the ending, though....”   
  
She stops, hearing Emma's breath slow, and that's it, her mum's asleep and Clare's left to her own devices, trying not to think of a certain gentleman...  
  
~~  
  
It probably isn't a coincidence when Marianna comes into the main room and finds Robin still awake. She already made sure Emma and Clare are settled in and helped John and Will, and now she's there to see to him. “You realize that there's no need for you to stay awake all night,” she says, “not that I don't mind the company. I'm used to going to sleep late,”  
  
He turns around and looks at her. “You're Clare's grandmother,” he observes, and she smiles at him. “I know she's already asked you a few times but why don't you want to come back with them to Storybrooke?”  
  
Marianna shrugs. “It's not that I don't want to, I do but I am afraid of how my son will receive me after all this time apart. I could sugar coat it all I want but I abandoned him and I was selfish for doing it. I don't think that's something he could easily forgive,” she admits.   
  
“Clare, from what I know of her history, she was abandoned too and alone for most of her life, but being here, she's bonding with her mother,” he observes, “and hopefully, that bonding continues once they return to their world. The same could happen for you and your son,”  
  
She smiles, raising an eyebrow, “I've also noticed a different bonding where you and my granddaughter are concerned,” she teases, changing the subject and Robin blushes, “You have feelings for her. You like her,”  
  
“I do,” he admits, blushing, “but...”  
  
“But?”  
  
“I lost my heart to someone else a long time ago and I'm not sure I'm ready to move on from her,” he says, “Even if... Clare's wonderful, she's beautiful and I sympathize with her pain but...”  
  
“She's not your true love, the one you lost,” Marianna finishes. “But maybe Clare can help you heal from that loss. You could help each other heal,”  
  
He shakes his head. “I'm not sure Clare's that person for me,” he continues, but maybe she is.  
  
~~  
  
Clare can't sleep; she wishes she could but she can't stop thinking about Robin. It's weird because it's Robin Hood, the same Robin Hood who steals from the rich and gives to the poor, Robin Hood and his merry men, Robin Hood versus the sheriff of Nottingham, Robin and Marian and it occurs to her... where is Marian?   
  
She's not her. Robin is always with Maid Marian, like peanut butter and jelly, they always go together and yet, she hasn't heard one mention of her from him or Will and John. Marian could be back in Storybrooke, brought there by the Evil Witch's curse, which means it's probably Robin's very determined to return to her and Clare doesn't want to stand in the way of True Love.   
  
_Oh bloody hell woman_ , she cries to herself because she wishes she were Maid Marian.   
  
~~  
  
It's too early to wake up, Clare moans but Emma's already awake and the sunlight streaming through the window isn't helping and it forces her awake. Emma's helping Marianna cook breakfast and Will and John are setting the table. Clare looks around the room and then spots Robin. He stops and stares at her, her hair's not even messy in the morning and she looks beautiful and amazing. But not so graceful coming down the stairs, nearly stumbling on the last step.   
  
Robin darts for the stairs, catching and cushioning her fall. Clare smiles foolishly, his arms wrapping around her waist and suddenly, he's staring into her blue eyes and she can't help staring at him too.  
  
Emma stops what she's doing and looks over at her. “I'm all right, I'm good. Feet coordination is atrocious in the morning,” she says, putting distance between herself and Robin and Emma goes back to helping Marianna.   
  
“Sleep well?” he asks.   
  
“The bed was softer,” she admits, “But I really hope there's coffee available otherwise I will seriously be a zombie the rest of the day,”  
  
Marianna shrugs. “Coffee might take a while actually,” she says and Clare groans, causing Robin to laugh.   
  
“Laugh at the girl who hasn't had her coffee and is semi-coordinated at the moment,” Clare retorts, “Just don't expect me to be in a good mood the rest of the day,”  
  
He smiles at her. “You know you look so lovely in the morning,” he compliments. Will and John look at him oddly. Emma flinches and Marianna clears her throat, directing her attention to the hot pan in front of her.   
  
“You're so adorable,” she muses and when she smiles, her blue eyes seem lighter.  
  
“You're too sweet,”  
  
Emma sticks out her tongue and Will and John laugh. Clare and Robin look over at her. “We need more herbs or something,” she mutters.   
  
Clare looks back at Robin and the two of them burst out laughing, now Emma is really confused but not at all amused. Marianna takes over the cooking, and she walks over to them both. “Seriously, I was about to suggest to get a room, listening to the both of you talking like that,” she says, “That wasn't funny,”  
  
She shrugs.   
  
“We weren't trying to be funny,” Robin adds.   
  
Emma glares at him, taking Clare's hand and leading her away. “We are not here to flirt. Remember what we need to do: get back home to Storybrooke, which is where your son and my husband is, who I miss so much,” she reminds her.   
  
“I miss them too,” Clare admits, glancing at Robin, “But there's no law against relations with certain people, unless he's my uncle or cousin or something then that would be weird and very incestuous,”  
  
“No, he isn't related but we all need to focus,”   
  
“I'm focused,” Clare says, sharing a smile with Robin from across the room.  
  
~~  
  
“I always felt so bad after I heard about what happened at your wedding. Such a special and beautiful day and then she storms in and ruins everything,” Marianna says, pouring Emma and then Clare fresh coffee. Emma blushes and swipes a loose blond hair from her face.  
  
“You really need not feel bad about that,” she says, “I had a beautiful wedding,”  
  
Clare shrugs. “Wedding of fairytales, probably,”  
  
“I wish I had been there to help give Killian away, or his father at least,” Marianna continues, “Your dress must have been something,”  
  
“I was dressed like a swan, feathers and white everywhere,” Emma remembers, “Which I thought was so beautiful and the perfect wedding dress. But the feathers, there was so much of it... everything was perfect and beautiful, the way I always dreamed it would be,”  
  
“But the evil witch ruined your special day, she stole it from you, Emma,”  
  
“She stole your life too,” Clare mutters and then hides behind her coffee cup.  
  
Emma shrugs, sighing. “The reason I don't feel bad about what happened is because I already had my special day with Killian; the wedding was... that was just for show,” she says.  
  
Clare laughs, studying her curiously. “Are you saying you eloped?” she questions and everyone stares at her.   
  
“I'm surprised you don't know about that considering how many times you've read Michael's book,” Emma manages, “And we didn't purposely elope. I was being stubborn, and he swept me away in the middle of the night to the Jolly Roger, took me to Neverland apparently, I slept for a week, then woke up and I decided I wanted to marry him on the spot. But we didn't elope; we didn't tell my parents we got married while I was away,”  
  
“You eloped,” Clare says flatly.  
  
Marianna smiles. “You got married at sea then?” she asks.  
  
“His first mate, Starkey married us, which he technically could do since Killian made him captain of the Roger,” Emma continues, “I gave him my necklace,”  
  
“That's romantic,” Marianna sighs. “I eloped with Killian's father, I guess the impulsiveness runs in the family,”  
  
Clare snorts.   
  
“What about you Clare?” Marianna asks, “I know you have a son. What's his name? How old is he? What's my grandson like?”   
  
Clare laughs, “Wow, there. I barely know him,” she says and Marianna looks at her strangely. “What I mean is, I didn't raise him. Michael's 11 years old, he's smart and sometimes, a little manipulative...”  
  
“Manipulative?”  
  
“He blackmailed me into taking him back to Storybrooke, and then he left his fairytale book in my car so I would be forced to bring it back. Then, I got into a car accident and Father Jones – your Killian saved me and brought me to the hospital to recuperate. If he didn't do that, I would have been arrested by the sheriff (who was actually Emma's father),” she remembers.   
  
Marianna sighs. “The witch's curse changed a lot,” she sighs.  
  
“She stole a lot too,” Clare says, “I know you don't want to come back with us but I think she should reconsider. Marianna, you have a family waiting for you back in Storybrooke. Wouldn't you like to get to know your grandson? I know Killian might be resistant to accept you back into his life but you're his mother and family needs to stick together,”  
  
“You present a very appealing proposition,” she muses, “He's my son, and I never stopped thinking about him, loving him,”  
  
“All the more reason you should return with us,”  
  
Marianna looks to Emma. “What do you think?” she asks her.  
  
Emma shrugs. “When I became formally engaged to him, he told me about you and there was nothing but love in his voice for you. I would love it if you came back with us, Marianna, because it is true, you have extended family in Storybrooke. I was fortunate, I grew up with both of my parents so I can't relate to what it was like for him to lose you at such a young age. That was until I was forced to give up Clare so she could save us from the curse,” she explains, “but again, the choice is yours,”  
  
Marianna sighs again, contemplating her options. “The problem is... I'm afraid of how he will receive me. I abandoned him, I didn't want to, but I still left him,” she cries.   
  
“Marianna, listen to me,” Clare says firmly, “I won't lie to you. It probably won't be easy. I used to wonder before Michael came back into my life if he ever found me, would he be angry with me for giving him up? My only comfort is that I did that to give him his best chance and something tells me, you probably hoped the same thing for Killian after you left. You love him, he's your son... don't you want him to know after all this time apart that he never left your heart?”  
  
Robin blinks his eyes, watching Clare with her grand mum and can't help being amazed at how wonderful and understanding she is. He wipes a tear from his eye and looks to Marianna, who stands suddenly, doing the same.   
  
“No one's trying to push you here Marianna, but not knowing is the worst curse,” Clare adds.   
  
“Not trying to push me?” she counters, smiling skeptically.  
  
“Maybe a little,” Clare says, using her fingers for emphasis, “But that's only because it doesn't feel right to the both of us to leave you here all alone,”   
  
Emma smiles, agreeing with her.   
  
Marianna shrugs. “When do you plan on leaving?” she asks and Clare jumps from her chair, hugging her emphatically, and Emma can't herself either, falling suit.   
  
“You don't have to be alone again Marianna,” Clare reassures her, “Because you're with family now,”  
  
TBC

 


	16. Sharing Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She attributes her lighter mood to Marianna's stories about her son when he was younger; Clare can hear her tell Emma about what her husband was like when he was a boy and she's “oohs” and “awe's” at her stories. They're at least happy baby stories and Clare can feel the love in Marianna's voice when she speaks of him.

“That's all your things?” Clare asks as Marianna comes back with a small bag.  
  
Marianna looks down at it and then to her granddaughter and shrugs. “Yes. I didn't take too many things with me when I left,” she says.  
  
Emma gestures to her crossbow. “You were handy with that,” she notes.  
  
“It's something I taught myself to handle,” Marianna reasons, “Had too, a single woman living alone with no man to protect her. I had to fend for myself and I'm a good shot. What about you?”  
  
“Sword's my weapon of choice. My father taught me when I was sixteen,” Emma adds and she and Marianna look to Clare.  
  
“I would fight but she won't let me use a sword, says I have to start with a staff and then work my way up; which is ridiculous because when am I ever going to use a sword in Storybrooke?” Clare says.  
  
Marianna smiles at her. “Don't worry about it Clare,” she soothes and they all look at Robin and his men. “I guess, that's it then. Let's go,”  
  
~~  
  
They don't know where they're going and that used to worry Clare because she misses her son but she's in a lighter mood today than yesterday.  
  
She attributes her lighter mood to Marianna's stories about her son when he was younger; Clare can hear her tell Emma about what her husband was like when he was a boy and she's “oohs” and “awe's” at her stories. They're at least happy baby stories and Clare can feel the love in Marianna's voice when she speaks of him.  
  
Unfortunately, Clare doesn't have any happy baby stories to share. She knows she was found on the side of the road, without a note from her parents and was brought to the hospital, stayed a week in the maternity ward and then when no one claimed her, she was brought to the orphanage where she stayed until she was put into the system and transferred to her first foster home.  
  
Love had been all too rare in her life until she met Michael's father.  
  
She was sixteen, all starry-eyed and crazy in love with him. He was older than her, her first 'old man' (he was eighteen, perhaps older), tall, dark and handsome, the stereotypical mysterious guy. He took care of her, taught her how to love and she was so happy with him. She even moved into his place and they became roommates, he worked at a bar not far from their apartment and she worked as a waitress somewhere else.  
  
They made plans to start their new life together and then something changed because he wasn't there when she came home one day. A week later after he didn't come back, she gave up on love and decided the only person she could count on was herself.  
  
“How are you doing?”  
  
She turns towards the voice and finds Robin beside her. “I was just thinking,” she says dreamily.  
  
He smiles at her and Clare blushes though she's not sure why. “What were you thinking about?” he asks her.  
  
Clare doesn't want to talk about Michael's father with him again, so she changes the subject. “Do you have any ideas about how to get us home?” she asks instead.  
  
“That's a very good question,” Emma interrupts and Marianna looks at him too.  
  
Robin stops walking, and everyone else falls suit. “Beanstalk,” he says all three women look at him quizzically. “There's a legend of a magical compass on top of a beanstalk. It points you to where you want to be,”  
  
“Home,” Clare breaths, “Let's get to it. Where is this beanstalk?”  
  
He shrugs. “I don't know but I don't think it will be difficult to find. It's hard to miss a giant beanstalk,” he reasons, his eyes resting on Clare. “Don't worry. I'll get you home,”  
  
~~  
  
“I'm tired, do you think we can take a break?” Clare asks Robin. They've been walking for hours with no such luck finding that elusive beanstalk.  
  
Emma shares the same sentiment and Marianna looks like she could use the rest too, so he relents, giving them fifteen minutes. He asks Will and John to scout ahead and he stays back with the women but keeps his distance from Clare, which she notices and feels a pang of guilt.  
  
Marianna notices the longing glances between them and clears her throat, causing Clare to look at her. “Have you talked to him about it?” she asks.  
  
“About what?” Clare counters.  
  
“Your feelings,”  
  
Clare looks nervously at Robin and then to her grandmother. “I don't have feelings for… since when are you playing matchmaker?” Clare says and Emma laughs, eavesdropping on the conversation. “I don't have feelings for him,”  
  
“Clare,” Emma adds, “I think it's obvious at this point that there's something going on between you two, even if you say there isn't,”  
  
“I thought you didn't like him?”  
  
Emma shrugs. “I never said that I didn't like him,” she says, “But is there something going on between you two?”  
  
Before she can answer, Will and John come back with news: they think they've found the beanstalk. Clare and Robin exchange glances and Emma has to roll her eyes a little because the first person he looked to was her.  
  
“Are you sure?” Clare asks.  
  
“It's rather hard to miss a giant beanstalk,” Will says plainly.  
  
Robin smirks and Clare glares at him.  
  
~~  
  
Clare remembers the story of Jack and the beanstalk when she was a little girl. She had a love/hate relationship with fairytales; she loved them because they were always so fantastic and wonderful but she also hated them because they gave her false hope. She did not understand until a few days ago that her family came from fairytales, nor would she ever consider it a possibility.  
  
Yet, here she is, standing, feet away from a beanstalk with her mother and her grandmother on her father's side and Robin Hood and two of his merry men.  
  
This is where she would ask for a drink, or someone to pinch her because it still feels like a dream.  
  
“That is definitely a beanstalk,” Emma reasons and turns back to Clare, “Okay, wait here. I'll look for the compass,”  
  
“Wait a minute, why do you get to go?” Clare counters and Robin looks at her.  
  
He frowns, studying her curiously. “Are you saying you want to go?” he asks her.  
  
Clare shrugs. “I don't see why not?” she counters, “It's not like I'll have the same opportunity later; plus, Jack and the beanstalk was one of my favorite stories growing up,” She starts towards the beanstalk, tentatively reaches out and grabs one vine.  
  
“I'll go with you then,” Robin volunteers.  
  
“Clare?” Emma asks, and she stops, taking her aside. “I'm not sure I like this. You could run into some serious trouble and I need not remind you about the ogres and how you reacted there,”  
  
Clare smiles at her bravely. “I will not be alone,” she says, referring to Robin. “We'll be fine. No need to worry,”  
  
Emma still doesn't like it but she hugs her and wishes her luck, Marianna comes forward and wishes her luck. Clare notices John's sword, and she beckons him over. “If we're not back in ten hours, cut down the beanstalk,” she says.  
  
“Your mom and grandmother won't like that Clare,”  
  
“I know but if something happens to us while we're up there, your priority will be to get them home,” Clare reasons, referring to Emma and her grandmother.  
  
John reluctantly agrees and stands back as Robin waits for her. Clare grabs one vine, pulling herself up the stalk and following behind him.  
  
He marks a line as Marianna and Emma settle down uneasily. Will notices what he's doing and comes over, talking to him quietly. “What are you doing?” he asks.  
  
“Clare asked me to keep time while they're gone,” John replies, glancing back at Emma and Marianna, “In case they don't come back, we get them home,”  
  
Will looks back at the women and then to his friend, knowing exactly what he means by keeping time. This is a suicide mission. “Right,” he says, “I will look for some food,”  
  
“I'll stay here,” John calls back.  
  
~~  
  
Clare's never been scared of heights, but she is very aware that there in nothing beneath her except air and the only thing keeping her in place are the vines. She glances at Robin as he makes his way up and she clears his throat.  
  
“You do this much? Climbing beanstalks?” she asks.  
  
He laughs, “Only when there's a pretty lady involved,” he teases, grabbing another vine.  
  
“Is it your first?” Clare counters.  
  
“I know it's yours,” Robin reasons, smiling at her. “Good thing, I'm with you in case you run into trouble. I'll protect you m'lady,”  
  
Clare chuckles. “You think I need to be saved?”  
  
“You didn't exactly run from your first ogre, which should have been your first instinct. I know you were upset because I pried into your past, but it's only because I care,” he says and his response shocks her. “I know you told me to keep my distance but that shouldn't mean I stop caring, and you should trust me,”  
  
“Trust takes time,” she mutters, “Especially when it concerns me,”  
  
He stops climbing and looks at her and she sighs.  
  
“I really don't care to talk about it,” she retorts.  
  
“He left you behind, didn't he?” he questions and she looks at him. “That's it, isn't it? He broke your heart, your love and everything else in your life and that's why it's so hard for you to open,”  
  
“You mean open up to you?” Clare reasons, “And I remember that told you, I am not talking about this with you. I don't like talking about my past and him with anyone, even Emma knows that,”  
  
Robin chuckles and Clare strains to grab another vine but misses but Robin is close enough to grab her, “It's all right Clare, I've got you, lass,” he soothes, “Watch yourself,”  
  
Clare shakes her head and slowly ducks out from underneath him, grabbing the next vine more tightly but keeps a closer distance to him in case she misses again.  
  
TBC


	17. Beanstalk Therapy, Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin tenses up but doesn't look at her. “I loved a fair, beautiful maiden once, long ago, but she's gone now,” he says solemnly, “I wish every day that I didn't have to lose her, maybe there was something I could have done...”
> 
> “Hey,” Clare says, stopping in her search and he turns to her reluctantly. “I'm sorry for your loss. I know what it's like to lose someone you loved very much,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Transported to the post-apocalyptic fairytale world, Clare and Emma reluctantly agreed to accept help from a stranger and his men. But the stranger has a darker motive for helping them that could endanger their chances of getting back to Storybrooke.  
> Disclaimer: Once Upon a Time characters are the property of Disney and Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis. This fanfic is for pure entertainment.

Emma's not normally an impatient person, but she is getting anxious and it's showing as she paces in front of the beanstalk. Will and John are watching her walk back and forth and it takes Marianna's intervention to get her to sit down. “Come here,” she says, “I know why you're so nervous but seriously Emma, you need to relax. Clare will be fine,”  
  
“I shouldn't have let her go,” Emma reasons, “She's not ready,”  
  
Marianna smiles at her. “I think she'll be fine,” she muses, “I want you to close your eyes, breathe and... take a nap. It will be a while until they come back with the compass,”  
  
“I can't...”  
  
Marianna raises an eyebrow, looking at her curiously and Emma sees where her husband got that little behavior. “Emma,”  
  
“No, I mean I can't,” Emma adds, “I have bad dreams when I sleep, bad dreams,”   
  
She sighs and pats the space beside her. “Well, worrying won't do any good,” she says, “Sit by me. I know what might help you sleep,”  
  
Emma groans and reluctantly sits by Marianna. “Rest your head on my shoulder,” she continues, “Close your eyes dear, breathe...”  
  
John and Will watch as Emma slowly relaxes and Marianna rocks her steadily, humming softly. “I used to do this with Killian when he was a baby telling him stories about foreign lands, beasts like ogres, giants, and pirates.... which is probably where he got becoming one from,” she remembers, “How I wish I had stayed, if only to be there for him when he was growing up. He was such a sweet boy,”  
  
Before Marianna knows it, Emma's asleep. Marianna breathes slowly, gazing up at the beanstalk and hopes, everything is fine.  
  
~~  
  
They make it, reaching the top of the beanstalk. Clare jumps off first, landing firmly on the ground and then Robin follows behind her. Clare breaths heavily before walking off but Robin catches up to her, pulling her towards him. “And where do you think you're going?” he asks, holding her close.   
  
“Looking for the compass?” she counters.  
  
He sighs and brings up her wounded hand, ripping off a small cloth from his shirt and bandages it. “First of all, we do this together. As much as I know you want to take the lead Clare, you don't exactly know where you're going and that can be very dangerous, especially since we want to avoid any lingering giants,”  
  
“It doesn't seem like there are any giants up here,” she reasons.  
  
“Appearances can be deceiving,” he continues, “But all the more reason to be cautious. Sorry, I have no rum on me but hopefully, that bandage will do until we get back down,”  
  
“Right,” she says, studying him. “Well, let's get to it,”  
  
He looks at her blankly and she smiles. “I mean, the compass. Where's the first place we should look for it?”  
  
“Treasure room,” he says.  
  
Clare smiles, thanks him for tending to her wound and walks in the direction she thinks the treasure room but halts, noticing a human skeleton holding a big sword. “Robin, who's that?” she asks.  
  
“That would be Jack,” he says.  
  
“Jack the giant killer? With that?” Clare exclaims, referring to the sword.  
  
He shrugs. “You'd be surprised,” he says and walks towards the right direction of the treasure room. Clare sighs and reluctantly follows him.  
  
~~  
  
Emma hates feeling trapped, and that is exactly how she feels, watching flames roar loudly around her. She's trapped in a red room, trying to protect herself from the fire and she wishes that Killian were there with her because at least they would be together. She always feels so much safer and at home when she's in his arms because he is home to her.   
  
Emma dodges a fireball, crouching onto the floor and closes her eyes, bracing her head. This is why she is reluctant to go to sleep but now, she desperately needs to wake up.   
  
Suddenly, she hears Marianna's voice calling to her and Emma rocks herself, chanting to herself to wake up.  
  
~~  
  
“Emma, it's all right, wake up love. It's all right,” Marianna soothes her, as Emma suddenly wakes up. She's still shaken and weary of what's real and what's not. That place, the fire, the pain, the loneliness, everything felt so real. “Emma?”   
  
John and Will are standing in front of her, staring at her worriedly and Emma lets her head fall on Marianna's shoulder. “How long has it been?” she asks.  
  
“Six hours,” John says.   
  
“Make sure I don't fall asleep again,” Emma says, “How much longer until Clare comes back down from the beanstalk?”  
  
John doesn't say, nor does he want to.   
  
Emma buries her head in Marianna's shoulder as she sighs, raking her fingers through her hair.   
  
“Tell me about my son,” Marianna asks.  
  
“Haven't you heard a lot of stories about him already?” Emma counters.  
  
“It doesn't hurt to hear one more,” she continues, “You never told me how the two of you met? How did you fall in love?”   
  
Emma laughs a little and then picks up her head, looking at her. She glances at Will and John and then to her mother-in-law. “It's complicated,” is all she says.   
  
Marianna shrugs, smiling. “Now, I'm really intrigued,”  
  
“You are,” Emma muses, “I wished for an adventure and I got your son, we fell in love, he saved me, we married, had Clare and boom, the curse hit,”   
  
“That's it then,”  
  
“Pretty much,”   
  
Marianna's silent for a moment and Emma's relieved that's the end of it, or at least she thinks that's the end of it. “So, you stayed with him on board on his ship. Why didn't you want to leave? A pirate's life isn't exactly appropriate for a princess,”   
  
Emma groans. Taking into account Will and John are nearby, Emma doesn't exactly want to go into the graphic details of the early days of hers and Killian's relationship. “He was helping with something and I helped him in return with what he needed,” she reasons.   
  
“What was that then?”  
  
Emma groans louder and Will and John laugh. “I am not – can we leave at that? If you're still curious about details, my grandson has a fairytale book back in Storybrooke. I'm sure he wouldn't mind lending it to you, so you can catch up on recent events,”  
  
Marianna smiles at her. “Of course,” she says and winks at her, “And I already knew,”  
  
“Then why did you ask?”  
  
Marianna shrugs and a big grin forms on her face and Emma recognizes the mischievous manner, her husband often teases her with. Like mother, like son.   
  
~~  
  
They find the treasure room easy enough with little trouble too. Two things suddenly occur to Clare as she's studying the room; one, the treasure room is a horrible mess, and she's not sure how she and Robin will find a magical compass in it and two, Robin Hood is a thief. The legend she remembers as a child, he stole from the rich and looking at the treasure room, the giants are rich.   
  
“I'll take one side, you take the other; we'll be able to cover more space that way,” he suggests.   
  
“So, you do this much?” Clare asks, looking first through the smaller treasure chests. The first chest she opens has magnificent blue rubies in them but she quickly closes them.   
  
He shrugs, looking through a nearby stash. “You mean to steal from the rich and give to the poor thing?” he counters, “I know of my legend and history,”  
  
“The Robin Hood I remember,” Clare continues thoughtfully, “He was in love with the most beautiful maiden in all the land but funny thing since I've been traveling with you, I haven't seen or heard mention of her,”  
  
Robin tenses up but doesn't look at her. “I loved a fair, beautiful maiden once, long ago, but she's gone now,” he says solemnly, “I wish every day that I didn't have to lose her, maybe there was something I could have done...”  
  
“Hey,” Clare says, stopping in her search and he turns to her reluctantly. “I'm sorry for your loss. I know what it's like to lose someone you loved very much,”  
  
He smiles at her thoughtfully, “Thank you for your condolences, Clare,” he says, “You're too kind, warm and... we better find your compass,”  
  
“Condolences?” she asks, “Wait, you don't mean ---? But she couldn't have, in the story, the two of you always end up together,”  
  
“Not all stories are true, nor do all of them have happy endings,” he says, “Come, let's continue looking for your compass. Your mum and grandmother are waiting,”  
  
“So, what happened to her?” she asks, and he frowns, looking back at her. He expected that she would drop talking about her but Clare isn't interested in that.   
  
“She died,” Robin says, “She was taken, murdered. I'd rather not talk any more about this. It's been hard enough after you broke the curse, remembering everything and anyway, you don't know what I've been through,”  
  
“You're right, I don't know what you've been through. I've never experienced someone close dying, but I know what it feels like to be left behind,” she comments.  
  
“Your parents didn't leave you behind, Clare...”  
  
“I'm not talking about them,” she cuts him off, “Maybe the reason I put you at a distance is because deep down, I'm still scared but I care about you and I hope ---”   
  
Before she can finish that thought, there is a loud rumbling and Clare stumbles, falling into his arms. “I thought this place was supposed to be abandoned?” she asks as he helps her stand.   
  
“It's not. Hide!” he shouts to her and Clare crouches behind whatever can hide her.   
  
~~  
  
Emma wouldn't feel the vibration from above but she notices how the hairs on her arms suddenly stand and she feels a cold shiver run down her spine. Motherly instinct and panic kicking in, she knows Clare is in trouble. Marianna notices her panic and gently rubs her back. “Clare's safe with him,” she whispers.   
  
“She's in trouble,” Emma cries and Will and John look at her.  
  
“Listen, Emma,” Marianna says firmly, “If she is in trouble, she's not alone. She has Robin with her and you need to believe that she can take care of herself,”  
  
Emma wants to be strong, to believe Clare can take care of herself but it also drives her crazy she can't do anything to help her.   
  
~~  
  
Clare looks worriedly at Robin as a banshee curiously sniffs around the treasure room. Of all the creatures Clare expected to find atop a beanstalk, banshee was not one of them. She remembered facing her first ogre, climbing her first beanstalk and now add banshee to the list, if she and Robin survive this, she is never coming back to the Enchanted Forest.  
  
Robin keeps his eyes on the banshee, watching its movements and hopes it'll lose interest and leave but it doesn't look like it has. The banshee's zeroes in on Clare's location and that's when Robin acts, pulling an arrow from his quiver and aims his bow at its' shoulder. He shoots, and the arrow grazes its' left shoulder as Clare cries in horror, watching it writhe in pain.   
  
Robin comes out from his hiding place, holding another arrow in place in case it doesn't die and Clare tentatively leaves her hiding spot and joins him. The creature lets out a shrill cry so loud that Clare covers her ears. As Clare watches the banshee cower, it changes and soon transforms into a human woman with tattered clothes.   
  
“She's hurt!” Clare cries, removing her hands from her ears and starts towards the woman but Robin stops her. “She's hurt,”  
  
“You were almost a meal for her a second ago,” he reminds her.  
  
Clare walks cautiously towards the woman and asks, “Who are you?”  
  
The woman glances up at him, pushing away her dark hair, revealing her pale skin. “Who are you?” she counters.   
  
“We're looking for something, something that'll help me get back home,” Clare says much to Robin's annoyance. “Who? What happened to you?”  
  
“I don't know,” she breathes.  
  
~~  
  
Robin's weary of Clare's interest in the wounded woman who almost killed her and feeling they have little time to look for the compass, this woman is an unnecessary distraction. But Clare's not hearing any of it, helping to clean her wound with what little they have.   
  
“Thank you for your kindness,” the woman says, smiling at her. “How can I repay you for helping me?”  
  
Clare smiles brightly, knowing exactly how she can help. “You're welcome – I'm sorry, what's your name?” she asks.   
  
“Morgan,” she says, “How can I help you?”  
  
“Well...” Clare starts, “As I mentioned before, we're here looking for something that will help my family and I get back home,”  
  
Morgan looks at her curiously, studying her unusual clothes that are not native to this land. “You're not from here,” she observes, “You're seeking the magical compass,”  
  
“Yes, we are and don't wish to bother you anymore, so we'll be on our way,” Robin interrupts, taking Clare's arm and pulling her aside. “Need I remind you this woman almost killed you and we really don't know that much else about her other than she used to be a blood-hungry banshee?”  
  
“I was cursed,” Morgan blurts and Clare and Robin look back at her. “I was cursed and brought here as punishment, to live forever in my torment for all the evil things I've done,”  
  
“See? Evil things,” Robin whispers to her.  
  
Clare ignores him, walking over bravely to Morgan. “That's horrible,” she says sympathetically.  
  
“The giants who lived here died long ago and I've been left alone up here ever since,”  
  
“Loneliness is the worst curse,” Clare agrees, “I'm sorry for your pain Morgan. No matter what you might have done, you didn't deserve that punishment,”  
  
“That's kind of you,” she says, “Now you've saved and helped me, how I can I help you? It seems only right I return the favor. You're seeking the compass which will help you get home but you need more than the compass,”  
  
Clare frowns, glancing between her and Robin. “Why won't compass work on its own? Doesn't it have magic?” she asks.  
  
“The compass will help you get home but you need a catalyst to make it work. Magic is in short supply these days but I can give you this,” Morgan offers, removing a small vial of blue dust. Robin stares at the vial and then to Morgan, a cursed woman who used to be a banshee and is now helping them.   
  
“What is that?” Clare asks, staring at the vial.  
  
“Fairy dust,” Morgan says matter-of-factly. “You need to go to Lake Nostos,”  
  
“Lake Nostos dried up years ago,” Robin says bluntly.  
  
Morgan smiles. “Lake Nostos has rejuvenation powers and if you sprinkle the fairy dust from this vial and use the compass, it can get you home. The lake will act as a portal between worlds,” she explains. Morgan stands and walks over to one treasure, opens a box and removes the compass. Clare comes over and Morgan gives it to her. “This will take you home, to where your heart desires,”  
  
“Thank you, Morgan,” Clare says and hugs the woman.  
  
Morgan hugs her back as Robin looks on uneasily. Clare pulls away, puts the compass around her neck and rejoins him. Robin steps forward, confronting her, still on his guard. “You have every right to be weary of me Robin Hood,” Morgan says, alarmed that she even knows who he is considering they never gave their names. “And I know what or shall I say whom your heart desires,”  
  
“Thank you for helping us but...”  
  
“You still don't trust me,” Morgan finishes, “I haven't lied about anything I've told you. Take her to Lake Nostos, use the magic and the compass to get her home,”  
  
Robin regards her. “But if you wish to follow her and you will,” she says, showing him a bean, “It's the last magic bean, left up here by the giants. Follow the same directions except substituting the bean for compass and you can be with your love,”  
  
“That's presumptuous, calling her my love when you've only known us for a few minutes,” he reasons.  
  
Morgan shrugs. “It's a gift. I can see what's truly in one's heart,” she muses.  
  
TBC  


 


	18. Beanstalk Therapy, Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She looks at him quizzically. “What wall? There's nothing between us but this beanstalk?” she teases him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Transported to the post-apocalyptic fairytale world, Clare and Emma reluctantly agreed to accept help from a stranger and his men. But the stranger has a darker motive for helping them that could endanger their chances of getting back to Storybrooke.  
> Disclaimer: Once Upon a Time characters are the property of Disney and Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis. This fanfic is for pure entertainment.

John looks pensively at the mark on the ground, noting how long it's been since Robin and Clare started up the beanstalk. It's been seven hours which means if they're not in three hours, he must cut down the stalk and move on. Will comes back with some food and notices the hatch mark on the ground and Emma looks down, studying it curiously.  
  
“What's that for?” she asks.  
  
“Just keeping the time,” Will says, “I found fruits if you're hungry,”  
  
Emma thanks him and takes a bite and Marianna looks at him. “Why would you need to keep the time?” Marianna asks.  
  
Will shrugs. “No reason. It's just a good habit,” he says dismissively and gives her a fruit. Marianna takes it thankfully and removes a small cutting knife from her bag.  
  
~~  
  
“Hey,” Clare calls, catching up to Robin as they come back to the courtyard and the beanstalk. The climb up took them at least four hours but hopefully, getting back down will take less. But that's not the reason Clare stops him. “I know why you were being cautious back there,”  
  
“Someone had to,” he says, “especially since you weren't, again,”  
  
Clare smiles at him thoughtfully. “I know I'm out of my element, I didn't grow up here so all this is still new... but having someone watch my back is still new. I wanted to say thank you for saving my life again,” she says.  
  
“I couldn't well let a random banshee kill the savior. I would have to answer not only to your mother but grandmother and possibly your whole family if something happened to you,” Robin reasons.  
  
Clare kisses his cheek and backs away. “That was for looking out for me, again,” she continues, “You're a wonderful, kind man Robin and I'm sorry to have been keeping you at a distance,”  
  
“I understand. You don't want to be burned again by love,” he says, “Which I'm sure is something we can have a long conversation about on our way back down the beanstalk... that is if you're willing to open this time?”  
  
“I think it's only fair considering how I've pried into your past and you've saved my life twice now,” she says.  
  
“Thank you m'lady for being so gracious,” Robin muses.  
  
~~  
  
It's been seven hours now according to the time marker. John knew Robin and Clare going up the beanstalk would be risky but the closer it gets to that ten-hour mark, the more nervous he gets.  
  
If the pair is not back on the ground in three hours, he has to chop down the beanstalk. Knowing how antsy Emma's been, she would probably kill him for following orders. Even if those orders came from her own daughter.  
  
He exchanges wary glances with Will and Emma suddenly stands up and both men look at her oddly. “I need to go the bathroom, the little women's room,” she says and Marianna stifles a laugh in the background.  
  
“I'll come with you dear,” she says and escorts Emma away.  
  
Once they're away, John lets out a big sigh and rubs his forehead. “It's getting closer to ten hours,” he says, “If Robin and Clare are not in three hours, I have to cut the beanstalk down and move on,”  
  
“But the compass,” Will adds, “They need the compass to get back to their land, otherwise they'll be stuck here and I doubt Clare would like that,”  
  
“Orders are orders,” John reasons, “I don't like it either but it's what she asked to be done,”  
  
~~  
  
The climb down the beanstalk goes a lot smoother than coming up, at least it feels that way to Clare. Her coordination is a lot better, talking to Robin about pieces about her past while focusing on the task at hand.  
  
She tells him about how she was in love once and believed they would be together forever, and then he suddenly left. Robin understands her pain and confusion and hears the inflection in her voice, relating to 'him' (still no name yet) he who is Michael's father.  
  
Clare's been alone her whole life, fighting to survive on her own and here was the one person she thought she could count on and he left her. He understands that betrayal and why she kept him at distance.  
  
“You're protecting yourself,” he observes.  
  
“With what?” she counters.  
  
He shrugs. “That wall,”  
  
She looks at him quizzically. “What wall? There's nothing between us but this beanstalk?” she teases him.  
  
“I don't mean the beanstalk,” he teases her back, “Which is understandable from what you've told me. You don't want to get hurt by love again but Clare, that wall of yours, it may keep out pain and everything else but you can't keep out love. Love is the purest and beautiful thing in the world and you shouldn't close yourself off from it,”  
  
Clare's speechless. She understands, but she doesn't think she's closed off from love. She's been a lot more open with him about her past in the last hour versus keeping him at a distance a few hours ago and that's a big step for her. “I don't think I'm entirely closed off to love,” she says finally, “I am talking to you about my past and that's not something I do with anyone,”  
  
“Even your parents?”  
  
“Emma understands that I'm not ready to talk about 'him',” she says, “And Killian's not pushing either, and neither is Michael,”  
  
He smiles, stopping to look at her. “He's a fool to have let you go, Clare,” he says, “You're a beautiful, brave...”  
  
“I'm not brave,” she adds.  
  
“You're brave,” he corrects her, “You volunteered to climb up a beanstalk with a stranger, ready to face whatever what might be up here to get back to your son. You could have been hurt or killed but that didn't deter you. That's brave,”  
  
“Maybe the reason I'm brave is that I knew I would not be alone,” she reasons. “Because you were with me,”  
  
“I'm glad I was with you,” Robin says and Clare blushes much to her own dismay. “Because I wouldn't have wanted you to be alone,”  
  
Clare looks back at the beanstalk and continues climbing down, whispering, “Thank you,”  
  
~~  
  
Last time John checked the time, it was close to almost three hours ago. It's been ten hours, and he knows what that means. John glances at Will before unsheathing his sword and walks over to the beanstalk. Emma stands suddenly, curious about what he's about to do.  
  
Then, John swings his sword slicing through the beanstalk and that's when Emma tackles him. Marianna tries to pull her back, but it's too late. “What the Hell do you think you're doing?!” she cries, pinning John against the ground. “Clare and Robin need more time!!”  
  
“Clare told me to cut down the beanstalk if they're not back after ten hours. I'm sorry Princess but it's been ten hours,” John says.  
  
Emma looks at him skeptically and Marianna bends down, helping to free John from Emma's grasp. She shoves him in Will's direction and places herself between her daughter-in-law and John. “Hold on,” Marianna starts, “Robin and Clare can still make it,”  
  
“We can,” Robin agrees, jumping off the beanstalk first and then catches Clare as she falls into his arms, and he gently puts her down on the ground.  
  
“Clare!” Emma cries, running to her daughter and bracing her. “You told John to cut down the beanstalk?!”  
  
Emma's statement catches Robin off guard but he ignores it, looking between mother and daughter. Clare hesitates before answering. “Yeah, I did, but was only in case we ran into trouble, you and Marianna could still make it back to Storybrooke and you could reunite with Killian,”  
  
“We go back together,” Emma says firmly, bracing her face, “We are going back as a family. That is the only way, do you understand me?”  
  
“Yeah,” Clare sighs, “I understand,”  
  
Emma hugs her. “Good,” she cries and pulls back as Clare removes the compass around her neck.  
  
“We have our way home now,” Clare reasons, “And we need to go to Lake Nostos,”  
  
“I know about Lake Nostos,” Emma adds, “Daddy told me about it when I was a little girl. There used to be a siren there that guarded its waters, but it dried up decades ago,”  
  
Clare holds up the fairy dust, smiling. “This is where the fairy dust comes in,” she continues before tucking it away safely.  
  
“Let's get going then,” Marianna reasons, picking up her satchel.  
  
TBC

 


	19. Love Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Clare, wait, before you go there's something I have to tell you,” he screams over the roaring portal.

They're going to Lake Nostos and as soon as they get there, Clare will use the compass and fairy dust to open a portal that will take her, Emma and Marianna back to their Storybrooke and Robin will likely never see Clare ever again. Then he remembers that Morgan gave him the last magic bean with instructions to use the remaining fairy dust to follow Clare.   
  
Now, he's debating if Clare is really what he wants. Marian died before the curse was enacted and Robin spent so much time mourning her and then he was granted a 28-year reprieve when the curse hit the Enchanted Forest. He didn't remember Marian; he didn't remember loving and then losing her. But he would remember loving and losing Clare if she left without knowing how he felt about her.   
  
That would be his greatest regret and he would always wonder if she really cared for him too and maybe she is the one person who can show him how to love again. Despite everything that's happened to him, Robin Hood still believes in True Love and when he looks at Clare, he feels that love in his heart.   
  
He has to tell her before it's too late.   
  
Robin's about to talk with her but Marianna catches up to her, asking her about Killian and Robin falls back, walking next to Will.   
  
“You know, the last time I saw my son,” Marianna starts, “He was a wee boy and now, he's a grown man with a beautiful family. Do you think that he'll forgive me for abandoning him?”   
  
Clare stops walking and looks at her. “Your reunion with your son will not be all smiles but I promise, I will do everything in my power to make it is special for both of you,” she says.  
  
“And she's there, the fake Marianna,” Marianna remembers, “She's masquerading as me. She stole my identity, and she's raising your son,”  
  
“She didn't steal Michael,” Clare verifies, “I gave him up long ago because I couldn't take care of him, so if Killian has a problem with growing up without his mother, I think it would be hypocritical of him,”  
  
“But he's your father Clare,” she reminds him.  
  
Clare shrugs, walking on. “He's my father and I love him but bottom line, any child who's been abandoned by their parents will always hold a little resentment in their heart. I know I did but coming back here, I know my parents didn't abandon me by choice and you faced the same choice. But he's always loved you, Marianna,”  
  
“That he has,” Emma agrees, “and we're here,”  
  
Clare looks at Lake Nostos, the decades-old dried up once mystical lake. She removes the vial of fairy dust and throws into the dried up pit. Nothing happens and Clare sighs, dejectedly. She knew this was too good to be true. The ground trembles and a bright light bursts from a hole in the center of the lake.   
  
Emma, Clare, Marianna, Robin, Will and John look on in awe as the fairy dust works its magic and a portal slowly forms. Clare removes the compass and Robin take the moment, rushing forward and grabs Clare's wrist, pulling her back to him.   
  
“Clare wait, before you go there's something I have to tell you,” he screams over the roaring portal.   
  
“What? Now? This is bad timing Robin,” she cries back to him, “All right, what is it then?”  
  
Robin hesitates a moment and then kisses her; he's kissed her before but not like this. It's passionate, deep, and he hopes Clare can feel how much he loves her and doesn't want to let her go. It's doubtful she'll stay after one kiss. She has a family back in Storybrooke and a life waiting for her and he's a different world than hers.   
  
“This is bad timing,” she murmurs.   
  
“There's more,” he says breathlessly, “I think I'm falling in love with you Clare Logan,”  
  
She frowns and pushes him away. “That is bad timing,” she retorts, “Robin, I have a life waiting for me back in Storybrooke. I have a son, he's waiting for me and I can't abandon him again not even for love,”  
  
He smiles at that last mention. “So you love me?” he asks.  
  
“That is not what I said,” Clare says, pushing a loose lock of hair behind her ear, “And you only said that you think that you're falling in love with me. That's not the same as loving someone,”  
  
Emma, Marianna, Will and John watch the pair curiously, ignoring the giant portal forming behind them. Robin shrugs. “Then I am,” he admits, “I am in love with you Clare. I love you and I'll find a way to be with you,”  
  
Clare doesn't know what to say. She knew someone once who made promises to her and then he broke them and she was left alone, thinking that maybe she didn't deserve love or that there was something wrong with her.   
  
Robin sees the uncertainty in her eyes and walks closer to her, holding her hands. “I'm not him Clare. I know he hurt you and he's the reason you're scared to fall in love again but I won't hurt you the same way he did,” he assures her.   
  
“So many broken promises,” she cries, looking back at the portal. “We have to go now. There isn't much time. We won't get another chance,”   
  
Clare walks towards the portal and Emma and Marianna join her. Then Clare looks back at Robin. “How?” she calls back. “How will you find me?”  
  
He smiles mischievously. “Don't worry about that. I have my ways. I'll find you, Clare, I promise,” he calls back to her.   
  
For the first time in her life, Clare believes him and knows his heart is true.   
  
After all these years, keeping out love because she didn't think she deserved it, she found love with Robin Hood, a kindred spirit. She wants to cry back she thinks she loves him too but the portal's closing up and they need to leave now. Emma grabs her hand and Marianna takes her other and still holding the compass, the three women jump into the portal. The portal makes a hissing noise and then seals itself.   
  
“Well,” John says, putting an arm around his friend, “At least you told her how you felt while there was still time,”  
  
“This isn't the end,” Robin says, “When I said that I would find a way back to her, I meant it,”  
  
“But Clare has the compass,” Will reminds him.  
  
Robin holds up the last magic bean and the remaining fairy dust. “And I have a way. Stand back lads,” he says.  
  
“But how will you know where to find Storybrooke without the compass?” Will asks.   
  
“My heart will guide me,” Robin reasons and throws the last bit of fairy dust and the bean into the lake, forming a second smaller portal. “Sorry boys, but this is a one man trip,”   
  
Will and John stand back, watching as Robin runs and catapults himself into the portal and disappears.   
  
TBC

 


	20. Welcoming Committee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael hugs Clare one more time before running into the apartment building as Killian comes down the stairs to speak with her. “Listen, Clare, a lot has happened since you've been gone and it's only fair to warn you that there have been changes in town since you left,”

A few days ago, Clare wasn't sure if she would make it back to Storybrooke but now she's back with Emma and her grandmother, climbing out of a tiny well in the forest.  
  
Clare comes out first. Then Emma helps Marianna, pulling her up and all three women lean back against the well, panting heavily from the trip. “So this is Storybrooke? It looks like home,” Marianna notes.   
  
“These are the woods outside of Storybrooke; we still have to walk to town,” Emma says.   
  
“Where's the welcoming committee?” Clare wonders.  
  
Emma shrugs, “I don't know but I'm hungry,” she says.   
  
~~  
  
Their first stop is Ruby's Diner for two different reasons. Emma is hungry and she and Clare need to hide Marianna before they reintroduce her to Killian. The moment the trio walks into the diner, everyone stares at them.  
  
Ruby comes out from the back with a cup of water and she drops it, staring blankly at them. A big grin spreads across her face and she runs, forgetting about the spilled water and falls on her butt. Emma and Clare rush over to her, helping her stand and Ruby hugs them.   
  
“You're here! You made it!” she cries, “I can't believe it! Gods Emma, your parents will be so happy to see you and Killian,”  
  
“Killian?” Marianna interrupts and Red looks at the other woman, quickly backing away from her wearily.  
  
“Ruby, Ruby, there's no need to be scared. This is Marianna,” Clare says.   
  
“Yes, I can see that. She has her face,”  
  
“No, this is the real Marianna. Killian's mother,” Clare says, “And we need you to hide her,”  
  
Red looks at the woman who resembles Marianna, really looks at her and Marianna smiles back at her kindly, and Red knows, this isn't the witch who's been missing for the past several weeks. This woman is Marianna, Killian's mother and that makes her family. “I can put her in a room at the B&B,” Red says, “until you figure something out,”  
  
“Thanks, Red,” Emma says and hugs her godmother. She and Clare stand and Marianna helps up Red. “Now, that's settled, I think there's somewhere we need to be,”  
  
“Well, Michael's been staying at your apartment and Killian's been taking care of him,” Red says and looks at Clare, “It's been a rough past couple of weeks. You will not believe what's been going on here since the accident,”  
  
“I'm sure Michael and Killian can fill us in on everything that's happened,” Clare says, starting for the door.   
  
“Clare,” Red calls back, hesitant to continue, wondering if it's even her place to say but she will find out, anyway. Storybrooke is a small town. “We've had to deal with quite a few problems and well, one of them is still here in Storybrooke,”  
  
Clare sighs and rubs her forehead. “I'm really not in the mood to deal with any more problems right now but thanks for the warning,” she says as she and Emma leave the diner.   
  
~~  
  
Emma is hungry but the closer they get to her apartment, the more she realizes she's not hungry for food but the warmth of her husband's arms and his kisses. Clare holds her hand, squeezing it firmly before trying the door knob. It's locked and Clare sighs, knocking instead. She hears someone rush for the door and her and Emma stand back as Killian opens, staring back at both of them.   
  
“Hi,” Clare says.   
  
Killian can't believe what he's seeing: the two most important women in his life, standing on his doorstep. It has been a rough couple of weeks; he's spent days wondering if they were alive, nights praying for their safe return and now, here they are.   
  
“Killian,” Emma says.  
  
Killian grabs her, pulling her into his arms and kisses her.   
  
“Well hello, there stranger,” Emma coos.  
  
“It's been too long love,” he whispers and Clare clears her throat, forcing them to look at her.   
  
“Right,” she says, stepping between them into the apartment, “So, you've had your happy reunion and where's mine? Where's Michael?”  
  
Emma blushes, walking into the apartment and Killian closes the door behind them. “Michael's on his way home from school. He should arrive soon,” he says.   
  
“I heard that you've been taking care of him for me in my absence,” Clare starts, walks over and hugs him. “Thank you for that,”   
  
“It's been an honor Clare,” he says, “I've always been fond of Michael, even when I was cursed and didn't know he was my grandson. He's a bright young lad, and he never gave up hope you would come back to him,”  
  
“He is wonderful,” she reflects, lying down on the couch. “It is good to be home finally but Ruby said it's been a rough couple of weeks but we've only been gone for a few days,”  
  
Killian shrugs. “I can't explain that,” he says, looking back at Emma, “Speaking of explaining, where did you go? Where have you two been?”  
  
“Home,” Emma says solemnly, “But we're back now. Red also said a lot has happened since we've been gone and you're still dealing with another problem,”  
  
“Oh, Michael's here!” Clare cries, bolting from the sofa and racing out of the apartment, meeting him at the bus stop.   
  
Killian hesitates a moment, then excuses himself, running after Clare but stops when he sees his daughter and grandson happily hugging.   
  
“You're alive and you're okay,” Michael cries.  
  
Clare kneels in front of him, looking him over as if it's the first time she's seeing him.   
  
“Where have you been? Where did you go? Is Emma all right?”   
  
“We took a field trip to the Enchanted Forest, and Emma showed me where I came from. I confronted my first ogre, climbed a giant beanstalk and faced a banshee who turned out to be a woman who was cursed,” she says, “And I met a wonderful, kind man whose responsible for getting me back to you and I owe him so much and hope you get to meet him one day,”  
  
“Wow! That's awesome,” Michael exclaims.   
  
Clare stands, messing up his hair a little and turns to her father.   
  
“Michael,” Killian says, “Go on inside and work on your homework. I need to talk to your mum in private,”   
  
Michael hugs Clare one more time before running into the apartment building as Killian comes down the stairs to speak with her. “Listen, Clare, a lot has happened since you've been gone and it's only fair to warn you that there have been changes in town since you left,”  
  
The school bus pulls away finally and Clare watches the other children meet their families and then her gaze stops on a tall, lanky man staring back at her.   
  
Clare thinks that maybe she's hallucinating, and he's not here but now he's walking towards her but stops at the sidewalk, looking her over. Clare swears that maybe she hit her on the head while in transit from the Enchanted Forest because there is no possible way he is standing right in front of her.   
  
“Hello Clare,” he says, “It's been a long time,”  
  
Clare finally comes to her senses, glances at Killian and then to the man. “Bloody hell,” she curses. “ _ **Son of a bitch. What the hell are you doing here?!**_ ”  
  
The End

 


End file.
